inFAMOUS 3: Welcome to the New Age
by Lightning's Creed
Summary: After Cole's death and the elimination of all conduits, the world fell into a new age of peace. But it was an age that barely managed to last a decade. The conduits have returned with a vengeance and the world has been torn apart. It's a war, it's an era, it's a new age. *Inspired by the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.*
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to the New Age

**Completely lost my thoughts for inFAMOUS 3: Revival. It just went and disappeared from my mind. Poof. GONE. But when my friend sent me this song: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, it gave me a new & different approach to continuing inFAMOUS. Gave me something a little more. **

Chapter 1: Welcome to the New Age

_**August 3**__**rd**__**, 2011**_

_ Officials are still investigating the cause and origin of a large beam of light that was erected and shot far into deep space. Astronomers say that the beam of light temporarily disrupted the signal of satellites orbiting the earth, causing several wireless networks to shut down. It is hard to pinpoint the starting and ending point of the light, because it could have gone either way, investigators say. Investigators were able to conclude that the light was centered on New Marais. Was this the work of the east coast phenomenon? Was this an attempted or foiled terrorist attack? Was this the work of notorious Empire City terrorist & proclaimed Electric Man Cole MacGrath…?_

_**September 10**__**th**__**, 2011**_

_ There are mixed results of the investigation LIGHT. Investigators were able to conclude that it did erect from the Earth, and the origin was indeed in New Marais. The cause has been declared inconclusive. Here's Dr. Dean White with more details._

"_We were able to find that the light was a form of anti-ray field radiation energy. A type of radiation the group, The First Sons have been working with for years. What triggered this large amount of energy to suddenly be released is inconclusive. We are starting to believe that there may have been a First Sons facility stationed in New Marais that triggered the blast. We aren't that sure, but we are looking into it."_

_**November 11**__**th**__**, 2011**_

_ There is worldwide rejoice today. After months of investigation, the First Sons have finally been brought down. The US military forces successfully launched an attack against their stronghold facility, stationed just north of Flood Town. Here is President Navarro with the details._

"_It was incredible. I didn't know if I was watching a real life operation or a Sci-Fi movie. *chuckle*. Entering that facility was like walking 100 years into the future. They had technology beyond one's wildest imaginations. The facility was fairly large. We found 50 or so members in a lab centered in the middle of the facility and all of them had, and I can't believe I'm saying this, supernatural appearances. All of them were emitting some form of energy. One had lightning, the other had fire, several had ice, but most of them were emitting a sort of plasma energy. All of them had abnormal eye coloring as well as grey skin with black markings. We expected the fight of our lives, but they just dropped to their knees, with their hands behind their heads. We even heard them say 'shoot'. We did not hesitate. One by one, they were taken down. One by one, the First Sons fell. The world is finally free of their terror."_

_**January 16**__**th**__**, 2012**_

_ Operation: Electric Man has been called off today. Officials are unable to locate his location. The only hint they were able to find was finding a memorial dedicated to him near the St. Ignatius Cathedral in New Marais. Officials conclude that the infamous Cole MacGrath is dead._

_**May 21**__**st**__**, 2012**_

_"Peace is becoming quite the pandemic these days. Maybe this is what the Mayans were talking about."_

_ "That the world will 'end' because of peace? Well isn't that the ultimate prank. Makin' people shit their pants, thinkin' that the world will eat them up and chew 'em out."_

**Zeke P.O.V.**

Yeah, the world has been relatively quiet these days. Sure there are still a few murders, robberies, rapes, what have you, but it's just human nature. But then again it's becoming really rare to hear about them now. It's like the world got a fresh, clean slate after the RFI went off. Grudges have been forgotten, rivalries dropped, everybody's started over. Countries have become part of other countries, religions have combined to become one, and we even got a couple new states. Yup, everything is quite right with the world right now. And it's all thanks to you Cole. Without your sacrifice, the world would still be where it was, and would possibly be getting worse. We've entered a new era, a new age. And it's all thanks to you. I miss you brother, I hope you know that. What am I saying, of course you do. Until next time. Half as long…

Before I could finish our quote, the sun came out from hiding behind the clouds and shined down on me. I couldn't do anything but smile and look up as I finished.

"…twice as bright."

**~I~F~3~**

"Daddy! You're back!"

"Sure I am, didn't say I was going to be gone forever now was I?"

About a month after Cole died, I met a girl named Lucy. We really hit it off. I mean _really. _On Christmas, we got married. And three months later on Cole's birthday (March 16th*), we adopted Jason, full name Jason Cole Alias-Dunbar. He's nine years old and really attached to us, especially me.

"Where's your mom?"

"She's in the kitchen."

"Alright kiddo, go on. Go play Notorious."

"Okay daddy."

I walked in to find Lucy preparing dinner.

"Hey, you're home. How did it go?"

"Every time, I go visit him something new happens."

"I told you he knows."

"Yeah, yeah. So what's for dinner?"

_**October 21**__**st**__**, 2012**_

"_Election Day is fast approaching and candidates Michael Conney and Brett Navarro are prepping for a final debate tonight. This is their last chance to win over the undecided voters."_

"Who do you think you'll vote for, Zeke?"

"I don't know. I was about to vote for Conney but after that crack he made about Cole, he lost my vote."

At the last debate, Conney mocked Navarro's growing belief in Cole MacGrath, saying:

"_So we have a guy who believes that this man, the Electric Man or whatever has been beneficial to this world, when in reality he could be the cause of the poor state of not only America but the world? You want this guy to continue to be your president? And what is this First Sons, business? It was terrorist organization. It's ridiculous."_

Needless to say, I had to buy another flat-screen television.

"Besides, Navarro has done a great job at turning America around for the better after the whole Empire City Quarantine incident. He's played a major role in making the world the way it is right now. Conney, I feel like he's going to undo everything Navarro did.

"Good point, honey. Who would you vote for Jason?"

"Navarro, Conney's ugly."

_**November 7**__**rd**__**, 2012**_

Navarro won by a land slide and Conney's pissed. The world is awesome right now.

_**December 3**__**rd**__**, 2012**_

"Cole, I want you to meet your nephew, Jason."

The sun comes out from hiding behind the clouds and shines brightly.

"Jason, meet your uncle."

"Hi Uncle Cole."

Did the sun just get even brighter?

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Cole. How is it in heaven?"

No, seriously. This sun is ridiculous.

"I wish you were here. It's so nice here. But I guess it's nice up there too."

The sun eases up a little. Thank god.

"See you again soon."

"Later brother."

The sun creeps back behind the clouds.

Yeah, Cole you're missing on a lot right now. They were crappy times back then and neither you nor the people could catch a break. You're on a permanent break now…and I guess we are too. Welcome to the new age world.

***=Cole's birthday is unspecified so I just chose a random date.  
**

**What do you think? Leave me your thoughts! =)**


	2. Chapter 2: I'm Breathing in the Chemical

Chapter 2: I'm Breathing in the Chemicals

_**December 21st, 2012**_

"_This is it, the day of reckoning."_

"_So why hasn't anything happened yet?"_

"_You can't rush it, there is no rushing it."_

"_All great things happen to those who are patient._

"_It will be a great sight to behold."_

******~I~F~3~**

"Man, look at all this snow. I don't ever recall it being able to snow here in 'always summer' New Marais."

"Well there's a first time everything, I guess."

"Daddy! Chase me!"

"Alright you asked for it! Come here you little bugger."

I have no idea why people thought today was supposed to be the big day. If this is their idea of the apocalypse, well damn…we're all just a bunch of drama queens, aren't we? All is right with the world right now. And it's going to stay this way.

"Gotcha!" Just as I picked him up, I felt something significantly colder hit me in the side.

"Dammit, Lucy!"

******~I~F~3~**

"Well it's relatively timid for the end of the world, isn't it?"

"New Marais got record snow, as well as Florida. There are record temperatures being broken today all over the world. All states in the New England area, on average, got a record shattering temperature of 99 degrees today. Even Russia got up to a whopping temperature of 105 degrees today."

"Pretty nice for 'the end of the world.' "

"You're telling me."

**~I~F~3~**

"Boys get in here! You're going to catch a cold rolling around in the snow like that!"

I picked up Jason and threw him over my shoulder before coming in. Man this kid, has an infinite amount of energy.

"Seems like we're not the only ones with crazy weather."

"I know, my brother in Ireland keeps complaining that it's too hot over there. It's only 92 degrees over there. Don't know what he's complaining about. It's negative 12 degrees here. I'd kill to have 92 degrees right now."

"Daddy can we go play in snow again after dinner?"

"I don't know kid, you wear me out. How about we let him go play on his own? We can watch him."

"I don't know...I suppose. Keep a close eye on him; I have to do some laundry."

"Will do."

_**7:30 p.m.**_

I swear, this kid is inhuman…or just really loves the snow. He has done front-flips, back-flips, cartwheels, side-flips...evasive maneuvers. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was training for something.

Ah crazy kids.

"Jason! Come in! It's getting dark." Okay...ignoring me.

"Jason!" I tried a little louder. He just stood there, with his back to me, perfectly still, staring at nothing. What's going on?

"JASON!"

Then everything went dark. Televisions, cell phones, house lights, street lights, traffic lights, the little night light in the corner, everything just went out. It was pitch black, until a beam of light shot down from the sky. It hit the ground with force, but not strong enough to knock any buildings over. Jason just stood there.

"Jason, GET IN HERE!" He just stood there stiffer than a piece of wood.

The beam of light began sending shockwaves all throughout the city, but they didn't do any damage. They weren't strong enough to knock my boy over either.

A high-octave sound filled up the sky. It made me cringe and I was sure my ear drums would give out from the torture it was receiving.

So this is what the end looks like…huh…brighter than I thought.

The beam of light broke off from whatever source it was coming from and formed a ring in the sky. It would be sight to behold, if it didn't signify the end.

The ring of light began spinning faster and faster and the sound it was emitting got even higher and louder.

And Jason just stood there.

The ring shot down a light and in one big explosion that sent out a shock wave that was now strong enough to knock Jason and me over. I landed headfirst and blacked out.

**~I~F~3~**

So this is how I die, how we all die.

_Zeke_

Well would you look at that, the big guy's calling my name. Better not keep him waiting.

_Zeke!_

He sounds more feminine that I thought he would.

_Daddy!_

Daddy? Now hold on a god damn minute…

I woke up with a start and found myself in the same exact spot where I commenced my unplanned evening nap.

"Oh my goodness Zeke, thank god you're alright." Lucy grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. Now Lucy's been known to give these legendary hugs that would take the life out of you. But because what just happened, I didn't dare tell her to let up.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I heard an explosion and I ran downstairs. I found you and Jason on the ground. Jason was conscious when I checked on him but you wouldn't budge. You've been out for 3 hours."

"Damn." Good nap. "Kiddo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine daddy…but you scared me. I thought you were…" he began to tear up.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know that."

Lucy helped me up and Jason immediately went to my side, hugging my waist.

"Come on" I picked him up and he clung to me for dear life. "It's late, let's get to bed."

The moon disappeared behind the clouds of the night sky.

_**December 22**__**nd**__**, 2012, 8:30 a.m.**_

_Investigators are investigating "The Event" that occurred the night before. At approximately 7:30 in the evening, beams of light shot down from space in multiple areas around the world. The beam would then begin emitting shock waves that lasted several minutes. The beam of light then shape shifted into a ring and began giving off a high pitched sound. It all ended in large explosions. There is no damage anywhere and there are no causalities. Were we just spared of an apocalyptic event or is there something deeper in this event. Stay tuned as we will provide updates at half hour intervals. _

"How's your head?"

"Ah, it's nothing to cry about."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about."

"If you say so…"

I've had some pretty weird nights in my respective history, but last night had to have topped them all. What the hell was that light last night? And what the hell was up with Jason? It's not like him to blatantly ignore me…or stare death in the face. I could have sworn when I opened my eyes and I laid my eyes on Jason, he looked a little…different.

Nah maybe I'm just that crazy. I need to go for a walk, clear my head.

"Lucy, Jason, I'm going for a quick walk around, ask if anyone knows anything new about what happened last night."

"Okay, be careful."

Jason looked at me with his purple eyes…

Wait, what?

I looked over at Jason again and they were his normal sky blue.

"Be careful dad."

I really need that walk.

**~I~F~3~**

Things were pretty normal in New Marais. Just the only thing was that all the snow we got the day before melted; it was like it never snowed in the first place. It was around 76 degrees, the sun shined brightly, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, which made me question why I took this damn coat in the first place. I took off my coat and held it in my arm.

I walked into a Dunkin' Donuts to get some coffee and breakfast. I really need it.

"Ok sir, that will be $7.50" I gave the cashier a ten and told her to keep the change.

I walked all over New Marais, asking everyone questions about 'The Event'. Everybody's answers were the about same: "I don't know." "I have no idea." "I thought it was the end." "It was the weirdest shit I've ever seen, I was beginning to wonder what kind of mushrooms were put on that pizza I ordered." Well that last statement wasn't said by _everyone_, but it came up a few times.

I probably wandered around for hours, potentially worrying the crap out of Lucy and Jason.

Then I remembered that coffee goes right through me sometimes.

I stopped by Subways and ordered some lunch for myself, Lucy, and Jason and made quick stop by their bathroom.

After taking care of my business, I washed my hands and decided to splash some water on my face. After splashing cold water on my face, I looked up into the mirror.

I had pale skin and golden eyes. What the _hell_?

I quickly grabbed a bunch of paper towels and dried off my face. When I looked in the mirror again, I had my normal skin tone and my dark brown eyes. I put my eye glasses back on.

Now what the hell did those Dunkin' Donuts people put in my coffee?


	3. Chapter 3: This is it, the Apocalypse

Chapter 3: This is it, the Apocalypse

**January 1****st****, 2013**

It's a new year. Another year void of conflict, besides "The Event". The world is still abuzz about "The Event" that occurred about two weeks ago, but, like most major event that occurs in this world, we blow it off as a "harmless event". If there was any apocalyptic event that took place, it would be the "Journalist Invasion" that occurred the next. My god, it's like someone took a huge bucket and dumped every journalist known to man in New Marais. It was goddamn frightening. But despite all this, there's no denying it; the year 2013 has finally arrived, and we're able to see it.

Take that Mayans.

**~I~F~3~**

"_It…is…almost…time…the…recruitment…will…begin…"_

"_Those who were sick…will be one of us…"_

"_It's time for humanity to fall…"_

"_We will tear this world apart and rebuild anew…"_

"_And we will take our rightful place…"_

"_As the dominant species…"_

"_Release…the…trigger…"_

**~I~F~3~**

"Jason, Zeke?" Lucy called.

"What do you need?"

"Could you two run out to the market and pick up a few things for me?"

"Sure, come on buddy."

"Coming dad!"

We stepped out into the warm air that belonged only to New Marais. While the rest of the continent is dealing with snow going up to their chins, we have absolutely stunning weather. The sun's shining, there's not a cloud in the sky, and there's a gentle breeze that makes sure that you don't overheat. What a great start to a new year.

We arrived at the supermarket and picked up the groceries for Lucy.

"Hey there's the big man, Zeke. How're you doing my boy?" Phil, the store clerk, asked.

"Ah, same old crap. How're you doing old man?"

"You know I'm young at heart Zeke. Everythin's a-okay as usual."

"You're one of the few people I've met who were not affected by "The Event""

"Ah if they say it harmless, it harmless. No need worryin' about somethin' that never met to hurt in the first place."

"That's some fine wisdom my friend."

"An' don't you forget it now. That'll be…$12.50."

I reached into my wallet and pulled out a twenty.

"Here you g-"

When I looked up, Phil had grey skin and black eyes darker than darkness itself. No joke.

I stood there paralyzed with a conflicting mind. One side was telling me to grab my kid and run like hell. The other side was telling me to stay put because running was futile and that I should just accept my fate.

Score one, pessimism.

Instinct told me to look down at Jason. He looked normal but it those goddamn purple eyes had to make an appearance, to make an appearance.

"Zeke, you're holdin' up the line." Phil broke me out of my transfixion. I quickly looked over at him and he was normal, wrinkly skin, green eyes, and all.

I promptly handed Phil the twenty, took my bags, my son, and power-walked out of the store. A silent message telling him to keep the change.

**~I~F~3~**

It's time like these I wish I invested in getting a car for myself. That way I can quickly go to and fro and drive into the ocean if I get crazy enough.

Well maybe not that crazy.

"Is everything okay dad? You looked scared in there."

"I just haven't been sleeping much these days. Lack of sleep makes you go a little coo-coo sometimes. No big deal." I lied.

He seemed a little skeptical with my reply, but decided to postpone the twenty questions for later.

We were standing in a cross walk, waiting for our signal to cross when the man standing next to us suddenly collapsed.

"What the…"

"Dad, is he okay?" Jason frantically asked.

"I don't know." I bent down to check on the man. He has a steady pulse, but his breathing is faint. He's out cold, but alive.

"DAD LOOK!"

I looked up, almost everyone, about every other person, started collapsing. Other people were panicking, running like hell, frantically calling out for help. I spotted one man fall from a rooftop, landing head first.

"Holy shit…"

"Daddy!" Woops, that's another dollar in the swear jar.

I looked down at Jason and saw tears streaming down his face, nothing but fear in his eyes.

"It's okay, let's go home." With herculean strength, I picked up Jason and put him on my shoulders, lifted the three bags of groceries and hurried home.

There was chaos everywhere. We almost got mowed down by cars four times already. People were driving and losing consciousness at the wheel. There's definitely no alcohol play there.

"Dad…I don't feel so good."

"Hang on buddy we're almost there."

I picked up speed and we were soon across the street from our house. I spotted Lucy in the doorway with an anxious look on her face.

"Come on Zeke, you're almost there." She yelled.

"D…a…"

Jason lost his grip on my head as he lost his grip on consciousness. He fell off my shoulders and fell onto the ground, thank god he didn't fall headfirst.

"Zeke, forget the grocery bags and just get inside please!" Lucy was the verge of having a panic attack.

I went to pick up Jason, but then I felt a little light-headed myself. The world began spinning, faster and faster until it was all a blur. Lucy's panicked exclamations became muffled.

A soft, ominous, whispering voice broke through my trance _"One…of…us…you…shall…be…"_

My eyes rolled into the back of my head and everything went dark. Before I became completely engulfed into the darkness I heard two things.

Lucy's sobbing screams and a truck's horn.

**~I~F~3~**

I immediately opened my eyes and was met with blurred white.

"Finally in heaven I see." I said

When the blur cleared I was met with the whiteness of ceiling. Now I'm pretty sure heaven isn't in a building.

By god, I'm still alive.

My entire body felt slightly numb. When I looked over I saw an IV in my arm, steadily pumping pain relievers into my body. But what was really peculiar was that I was on the lowest dose. Like rock bottom low.

I looked over and saw my son still asleep. His heart monitor was beating steadily so that was a good sign. He also had an IV in his arm. He wasn't too far away from me so I could move over to him without painfully pulling the IV needle out of my arm. I noticed that he was on a slightly higher dose than I was, but it still wasn't anything significant.

I sat on his bed, reached over and affectionately rubbed his hair. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. Purple eyes.

I think this hospital is pumping more than pain medication into my body.

"Dad stop you're messing up my hair." I reached up and stalled my hand, keeping it in his grasp.

I smiled and chuckled at his gesture. "You have really pretty eyes daddy."

"They are a nice shade of brown" I chuckled again

"They're not brown, they're gold."

My smile dropped and I became tense.

"Gold?"

"Mmhmm, gold!" He exclaimed. "They're so shiny!"

I immediately began looking around the room for a reflective material that would allow me to see myself. There wasn't any. He must be yanking my chain.

A nurse walked into the room.

"Good you two are up…huh…that's two more with an abnormal coloration in their eyes."

"Two more?"

"Yeah sir, we have about 150,000 people checked in at this hospital and many others around New Marais. All 150,000 people woke with an abnormal coloration in their eyes." She explained.

"Is it anything serious?"

"You two have been out for about two weeks. We've been running tests. There have been no visible alterations to yours or anyone else's bodies. You two also had no wounds or fractures from being run over by that truck. But we kept you on a low dose of pain relievers just to be safe."

I guess Jason isn't messing with me. He really does have purple eyes and I really have golden eyes. That's…cool?

"Do you two have any family that we could contact?"

"Yes, my wife Lucy. She must be worried sick. I wouldn't be surprised if he harassed the staff here…"

"We weren't able to get in touch with Lucy."

"What do you mean, she's not here?"

"We tried calling her home and cell; she hasn't answered either of them."

This isn't a good sign.

"That's…strange. I thought she would have run here the first chance she had, but…"

"Maybe she's at home, probably in shock."

The image of her rocking back and forth in the fetal position, against a wall, with a blank stare and tears running down her face suddenly popped into my head.

"Probably, can we check out of here?"

"Yes, you may sir. Your clothes are in that cabinet. Just come to the front desk when you're done." She left the room, shutting the door behind her, giving us our privacy.

"Where's Mom?"

"She's most likely at home. Come on let's get dressed so we can get out of here."

**~I~F~3~**

We checked out of the hospital and we were met with curious looks from the hospital staff. Having golden or purple eyes really isn't something you see every day so I don't blame them for staring.

We walked out and everyone was out and about, once again shaking off another major event. It's a walking rainbow out here; I saw people with red, yellow, gold (like mine), silver, purple (like my son's), white, and we saw even multicolored eyes. Any eye color that a person shouldn't have naturally was possessed by most people today. It's cool but freaky at the same time.

We finally arrived at home and saw that our front door was wide open. Lucy must have never shut it. We walked in and everything was a mess; chairs flipped over, couches on their sides, sofas flipped over, broken glass everywhere, papers everywhere. Lucy really must have been worried.

"Lucy? You here?"

Silence.

"LUCY?"

"Mom?" Jason said.

"Lucy, where are you?"

No response.

Jason and I looked all over the house and saw no sign of her anywhere. There was just more debris, significantly more in our bedroom upstairs. The closet was wide open, drawers were open, and there were even clothes on the floor.

"Dad, where's mom?"

"I don't know kid…I don't know." The worst response a kid could hear about their parent.

Jason ran out of the bedroom and ran into his room. I heard crying a few seconds later.

"Man…"

I went back downstairs and tried to find some form of clue as to where Lucy may be. I closed the front door and turned on the main lights. When I looked up at the door my heart stopped. It's the absolute worst clue you could see when someone goes missing. The worst clue of them all.

Blood.

**I originally planned for this chapter to be super long with two major plot events. But when I thought about it, two major plot events in one chapter would be WAY too much of a read. This chapter is fairly long with just ONE major plot event. The next plot event is HUGE(larger than this one) because it sets up everything for the series. **

**Hope you're liking it so far, leave me your thoughts =)**


	4. Chapter 4:This is it,the Apocalypse pt2

Chapter 4: This is it, the Apocalypse (Part 2)

_Blood…_

The amount of emotions that run through you when you see something like that, man they're like a waterfall. You don't know what to feel; anger, disgust, fear, sadness, _vengeful_…these were only a fraction of the emotions that I felt.

The last thing I need is Jason coming down the next morning and finding large amounts of blood on our door. He's already an emotional wreck and this would just make it worse. I went to the kitchen, filled up a bucket with soap and water, grabbed a sponge and tried to scrub that door clean. The blood was… still fresh so it came off with ease.

But I kept scrubbing; I scrubbed and scrubbed until the paint was coming off. But it still didn't look clean. I tossed the sponge back in the bucket, went back to the kitchen and dumped the red water down the drain.

I went upstairs and walked into Jason's room. He was sound asleep but I could still see the tear marks on his face. Poor kid. No young one should be without its mother, without any parent in general.

I tucked him in under the sheets and briefly and gently rubbed his head. I left his room, leaving the room slightly ajar.

I went to bed, but I knew sleep was far, far away. I closed my eyes anyway. A few seconds later, my cheeks felt damp.

Well there's something I haven't done in a while.

_The clouds of the nighttime sky parted and let the moon's light shine through. The light of the moon shone brightly that night. The light brightened up Zeke's room but focused its shine on his back._

_As if to comfort._

*****~I~F~3~*****

***October 24****th****, 2019**

"Happy birthday dad!" Jason hands me a wrapped gift.

"Thanks kid." I reached up and ruffled his hair.

"Dad I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 17 now you know."

"Well as your elder I think I have a right to call you kid, kid."

"Whatever dad, come on open your gift!"

I unwrapped my gift to see a black and white 32 GB iPod Touch.

"How…how did you afford this? This must have cost a fortune!"

"I've been saving up with the part-time job I have. Do you like it?"

"Damn straight I like it." I quickly opened up the package and held it in my hands. I've never seen the point of these things but after seeing my son with it all the time, (did I forget to mention that he has ear buds around his neck right now?), I became curious and almost envied one.

"I wasn't sure what music you were into, so I just asked them to put 50 pre-set songs in it. You can delete the ones you don't like anytime you'd like. Come on try it out!"

I opened the package and promptly turned on the device. After a couple minutes of set-up I got to the home screen and selected the Music App. I scrolled down the list until I found a song that would catch my interest. I chose the song "Radioactive by Imagine Dragons". I put my ear buds in and listened to the song. Jason also put in his headphones to pass the time.

After about 6 minutes (I listened to the song twice) I removed my ear buds and Jason did the same.

"This is incredible son, thank you."

"It's the least I can do, come on let's go get your birthday cake."

We opened our front door to be greeted by the warm, breezy air that was New Marais. Man I'll never get tired of saying it. After a short walk we arrived in Ville Cochon. But something felt a little off here. This place is usually flooded with people but the streets were unusually empty. Where is everyone?

"Man alive, I'd never thought I'd see New Marais this empty.

"Zeke, my boy, come over 'ere." I looked over and found Phil on his front porch. I told Jason to wait and I walked over to Phil as he pulled out his ear buds.

"You got an iPod touch too?"

"Gift from my niece, there's one song she put in it that's pretty good. 'Radioactive by Imagine Dragons'. Not a bad tune."

"Yeah, so what's up?"

"Take a gander at this here news report."

"_Reports of people disappearing are still coming in. Witnesses say that people would suddenly fell to their knees, clutching their heads in possible agony. After a while, they would get up and walk away with no emotions on their face. Some claim that they would 'disappear into thin air'. The amount of people that have disappeared are estimated to be at about 800 million, and the numbers continue to climb. What is the cause of their mysterious disappearances…Jack…are you alright…what's…Jack?...what…where are you going? Jack?!" Signal lost._

"Well isn't that interestin', people gone up and disappeared now? Shucks, where the hell do they go?"

"I don't know Phil, that is some freaky shit right there."

"Ah it probably somethin' harmless anyways. No need to worry about it."

"Yeah…"

"Oh by the way, Happy Birthday" He handed me box with a big bow on top. I opened the box to reveal a watch. There was a blue lightning bolt in the center. I smiled warmly at the symbolism.

"Thanks Phil."

"Not a problem. I knew that the both of yous were real close and it's been well over ten years since he's passed on. I keep tellin' you that he watchin' over you, just wanted to give you a little more proof."

"Again, thanks Phil."

"Don't mention it, now skedaddle, I got to get back to my tunes."

I waved and met back up with Jason, who was lost in his music. He jumped a little when I came back. He removed his ear buds.

"Nice watch." He pointed out.

I smiled and looked down at the watch. The sun was shining just right on the watch's lens.

My smile only grew more.

*****~December 2****nd****, 2019~*****

Jason and I were hanging out in the park, the both of us lost in our music. We're lying down on the grass with our hands behind our heads, without a care in the world. It's 23 degrees and light flurries were falling but for some reason we didn't feel compelled to take our coats or boots, or any form of winter attire in general. We just walked out with our light hooded sweaters, jeans, and sneakers. We don't even feel the cold. It's odd but refreshing. I hate wearing coats anyway.

I looked over at Jason and saw him trying to catch the snowflakes in his mouth.

"What if I told you, that's pigeon shit?" He immediately started sputtering coughing.

"Asshole!" He yelled jokingly.

"And this asshole is stuck with you." I retorted back.

He laughed briefly but that happiness was soon replaced with sadness.

"Dad…do you think mom is…?"

"I don't know kid. But wherever she is, she's in a better place now."

"But I wish we knew what happened to her. Is she dead, is she alive? What…" His question trailed off.

"Son…"

An explosion went off in the distance.

"What the hell?"

Multiple explosions began going off, each getting closer and closer to our location.

"We've got to move!"

There was panic and terror everywhere. Everyone was running around like chickens without their heads. But can you blame them?

"Zeke!" I turned around and saw Phil beckoning me over. "Don't just stare at me; get your asses in here!"

Jason and I ran over to his house. When we got in, Phil promptly locked the door behind him. There were about 6 other people in the house.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"Just listen."

"_Mysterious beings have cropped up and are attacking various places around the world. Everyone is advised to take shelter and avoid them at any cost…"_

"_These things are doing things a normal human shouldn't be doing…"_

"_I saw one shoot fire out his hands…!"_

"_He shot some form of a ray from his hands. Went right through my buddy's skull."_

"_There are explosions everywhere. Millions of cities have already been leveled. Everyone is advised to take shelter the best they can…Jack…? What are you doing…? Jack!" Signal lost._

"Well I'll be damned."

Everyone else in the house was whimpering, holding each other close, shaking.

"Everybody stay calm, we'll be fine." Phil stated in a firm reassuring tone. "Nothing's going to get us."

"But what if-" The woman was cut off by a banging on Phil's door.

"Shhh…" He instructed us to quickly and quietly move upstairs. The banging grew louder and fiercer.

We were halfway up the stairs when the door suddenly gave in and a man with yellow eyes, long black hair, in a full body chrome uniform stood in the doorway.

"We have returned! We will finally take what's ours! Humanity will finally know true power!" The mysterious man screamed.

Two more of them in chrome uniforms walked into Phil's house. We were all paralyzed on the stair well while Phil remained at the bottom.

"Our time is now, your time is gone!" All of them screamed. They lifted their hands and shot yellow, blue, and green rays at Phil, turning him into Swiss cheese.

"Oh my god, move!"

We all ran up the stairs. Jason and I ran into Phil's bedroom and locked the door, barricading it with his dresser.

"What's going on, what the hell are those things?" Jason asked.

"I don't know, I just don't know!" I exclaimed.

"You cannot hide what you have become! You are one of us!"

They began banging on our door, cracks began appearing on the door and the dresser was already knocked over.

"Shit what do we do? Man we're all types of screwed." I proclaimed.

Jason turned around and lifted up the window and propped it with a book.

"Are you out of your goddang mind? There's no way we'll survive that drop!"

"Would you rather take a chance with them? I think we'll have a higher chance of surviving _this _than _them._"He argued.

Well I can't argue with that logic.

"Okay." The window was wide enough for both of us to jump together at the same time.

"Okay on three. One-"

We were interrupted by the door losing its war the mysterious beings.

"THREE!"

We jumped and landed on our feet. Everything was okay, no broken bones, no pain, nothing. How?

"Shit…" It's rare to hear my son curse. So when he curses, it's something serious.

And it was.

New Marais was in shambles. Buildings have been toppled over and/or destroyed, the ground was cracked, corpses everywhere.

"We can't stay here."

"You don't say?!" And there's Jason's sarcasm.

"Come on if we can make it to the shore, we could get a boat and get the hell out of here."

"Good idea, come on!"

**Jason P.O.V.**

Zeke and I ran, we ran for our lives. These things were everywhere. We had a couple run ins with them but we were able to take them down, or rather distract them long enough so we could make our escape.

The shore was just a short distance away.

"One of us you are! Join the force! Show the world our true purpose and role!"

What the hell are these things? And what the hell are they talking about?

The being appeared in front of us.

Insert every curse word in the English language here.

Zeke and I were paralyzed. Both of us were conflicted; should we try to run or try to fight? I looked at him and he looked at me, neither us being able to find the answer.

"Your acts of treason are unexpected…and unwelcome. Your elimination is required." The being lifted his hands and a green spikes popped out of his hands. I guess this is it. This is how it ends? By the hands of some freaky ass mutant with green spikes coming out of his hands? Not quite how I pictured myself leaving this planet.

A white lightning bolt shot out of the sky hit the being straight on, promptly turning him into toast. But before being completely incinerated, the being left a nice parting gift, a grenade. Zeke and I were in such a state of shock we didn't have time to react. The grenade went off and a powerful explosion went off. It was strong enough to send us both airborne. I saw Zeke fly off into the distance…

…and I became very close friends with a nearby wall.

***= Yes a SIX year time jump XD. Once again there's no specified date for Zeke's birthday so I picked a random date. He turns 31 provided he was 25 in inFAMOUS 2.**

**This was already in my head so that's why this chapter came abnormally quick XD.**

**From this moment on, everything will mainly be in Jason's P.O.V.(he is the main character!)**

**Hope you're liking it! Leave me your thoughts =)**

*****(=~HAPPY NEW YEAR! =)~*****


	5. Chapter 5: I'm Waking Up To Ash and Dust

Chapter 5 – I'm Waking Up to Ash and Dust

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**Before we start, I'd like to thank everyone for the support: reviews, +favorites, +alerts, hell even just taking the time to read it(800+ views!). It really means a lot to me. This is my first story to ever reach 10 reviews and that may not seem like a lot to most, but's it's a lot to me. You guys give me the motivation to write the best I possibly can and to write better. Thank you all!**

* * *

What happened? Did I get hit by a truck?

Well I did, but that was a while ago. Unless I'm in a coma and everything that has happened was all because of a hyperactive imagination. Only one way to find out…

I opened my eyes expecting to see the white ceiling of a hospital room. My hopes were quickly dashed. They sky was red and dark. The clouds looked like smoke instead of their usual fluffiness.

"What the hell happened?" I made a move to get up. My body protested against the movements. I was stiff all over.

The ground below me was cracked and looked ready to fall apart at any moment. I couldn't take any chances; I had to find some stable ground.

Ignoring my body's cries of pain, I managed to get up and began walking around. Well this is great; I'm in the middle of nowhere. Could things get any worse?

_Grrr…_

Well looks like it can.

I heard a growl coming from behind. Now the rule of thumb was to run as soon as you heard something strange and to NOT turn around. But my instinct overruled my common sense. BIG mistake.

I saw a monstrosity in front of me. It had dark, sickly, gray skin, and eyes void of nothing but darkness. It stared me down and I didn't dare to break eye contact. It slowly began stalking towards me. Every step it took forward, I mirrored it by stepping back. Running at this point would mean my demise. A black ball of energy began to form in its hands.

Screw it.

I turned and ran as hard and as fast as I could, completely blocking out any pain I was having at the moment. I narrowly dodged a blast of energy at my fast. Thank god I have quick feet. I turned around and saw the monstrosity was now far behind me.

Man turning around is something you shouldn't do huh?

I ran into what felt like a wall and I fell to the ground. When I looked up I saw one of the baddies in their "oh so masculine" chrome uniforms. His yellow eyes were piercing, as if they were trying to see into my soul. After a long stare down he finally spoke.

"A stray, why aren't you with the others?"

"Um…I….uh." I stammered, my brain unable to form a cohesive response.

"Your termination is required, we cannot tolerate strays." He lifted his hands and a yellow energy began pulsating in his hand. He aimed it at my head guaranteeing a quick kill. There was no chance at escape here. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

…_I'll cover you._

What?

_Dodge his attack and run without looking back._

I re-opened my eyes and the monstrosity was still taking aim. How long does it take to aim and shoot at my head? If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was frozen.

I prepared my body, ready to dodge his attack and to run far from here. Focus…

He finally released his attack and a split second before his attack made contact, I moved out of the way, quickly got up and ran. I followed that anonymous command to run and to not turn around this time. Behind me, I heard a brief struggle before hearing an explosion. Don't look back…don't look back.

**~I~F~3~**

I ran for what like forever. I caught notice of a few cities that were obviously abandoned, but surprisingly still well intact. Whatever the hell happened here, it sure seemed to like cities.

Slowing down to a walk, I walked towards a large city. I couldn't find the name of the city, but it doesn't matter at this point. A larger city means more opportunities for hiding and escaping.

I arrived in the city and it was ominously quiet. Dead quiet. And there were bodies everywhere. No wonder this city smelled so bad. But how long exactly has it been?

I pulled out my phone that was surprisingly still working and didn't have a single scratch on it anywhere. They weren't kidding when they said the iPhone 10 was indestructible.

I pressed the power button and the logo showed up on the screen. After a while, I was finally met with the lock screen. I nearly dropped my phone when I saw the date.

April 16th, 2020.

It's been four months. I've been out for four months. Four months. How is that possible? How haven't I been killed by those freaks in the chrome suits? Did they just see me and assumed I was dead? Was I just _that_ lucky?

Never mind that, the longer I stand here staring at my phone, the more my luck will deplete. I put my phone back in my pocket and made my way further into the city. My body was tired and it needed rest. I spotted an apartment building just a few steps away from me. I walked over to it, pried open the doors and sat down on the floor. It's unusually peaceful in here.

While sitting there I began to think. It's been over five years now since my mom went missing. Wherever she is I hope she's okay.

And I hope she's happy.

My concern also began to rise for Zeke. We were separated in that explosion. He flew off into the distance landing god knows where. I hope he's okay. I really do.

I can't to stand lose my loved ones yet again.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them, taking a little nap. My body eventually cried out from the uncomfortable position it was in and I decided to lie down on my side instead. My body relaxed immediately.

_Get up._

What now?

_Get up now._

Five more minutes…

_Get up NOW._

I opened my eyes and was met by three figures in chrome uniforms.

"OH SHIT!"

I immediately sprung to my feet and ran for it. The three of them launched an attack simultaneously; one of them sent fire out of their hands, the other metal, and the third was spikes.

I twirled, ducked, and jumped way through imminent danger. I ran up some stairs and saw one waiting in the hallway for me. He sent fire towards me. Without thinking, I ran up the wall and jumped off it and landed on top of him, taking him down. Whoa, when did I learn that?

Without hesitation I got off of him and continued running down the narrow hallway.

"Get him!" Oh boy, it's a chase now. Cue epic chase music.

It soon turned into a pattern. Run up stairs, run down the narrow hallway, spontaneously take down a baddy, repeat. I lost track of how many times I did that. I really should have. Because like most things in life, there's always a dead end.

I reached the end of my rope and all that was here for me was a window and a few apartments. No more stairs, no more hallways, no more epic takedowns. Why do all good things have to come to an end?

The army of chrome freaks finally caught up with me.

_Nowhere to run…_

Their predatory gaze was paralyzing.

_Nowhere to hide…_

The three in front raised their hands with every to kill, or terminate because they are a fancy bunch.

_Nowhere to go…_

I closed my eyes, accepting my fate for what seemed like the umpteenth time today.

…_but down._

I opened my eyes again and had a realization. I could escape through the window. But what floor am I on?

I looked to my left and saw the plaque that indicated apartment numbers. 25P. I'm on the twenty-fifth floor.

Oh boy that's a big drop. That is a really big drop. Way bigger than the one Zeke and I endured in New Marais. But what choice do I have? Without breaking eye contact, I played around with the lock on the window. After a few seconds, I unlocked and the window glass fell over, plunging to meet its fate. That's going to be me in a few seconds.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Again, these freaks were taking an awfully long time to take their aim and shoot.

Without turning around, I readied myself to take the plunge, to fight destiny, to head off to a war with death. The freaks _finally _took their aim and were poised to shoot. I took a brief look below and then back at the chrome freaks.

Hmm, plunge to my potential death or be turned into Swiss cheese?

I stuck one leg out of the window so I was halfway out and halfway in.

I quickly went out of the window and held on to a few bricks that were sticking out and stood on the railing of the window.

I let go of everything and fell backwards just as the four of them launched their attack. Now I understand why people rapidly flail their arms when they fall from tall heights.

I understand you now, you crazy free-fallers.

After about a minute or so of free falling I finally made contact with the ground. I landed feet first but the force of the impact was so strong, my legs gave out and fell on my head, _hard._ I was knocked out instantly.

**~I~F~3~**

Whoa, déjà vu.

I found myself near the edge of the city. I looked up and saw the building I jumped out of before it suddenly exploded. Those freaks must have blown it up out of frustration. Or maybe that's death's way of giving me the finger or saying "I will have my revenge" or some crap like that.

I got up, without feeling any pain and kept moving. I spotted a large rusty sign behind me. It read Bay Front, North Florida.

My best bet here is to probably keep heading north. If I continue to head anywhere else but north, it means running into water, which subsequently means a dead end. I pulled out my phone, wow still intact, and used the built in compass app to find where north was. Once it was located, I headed in that direction.

I don't know what I'm going to encounter, but it looks like I'll find out soon enough.

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the long wait! School is getting hectic right now and I knew I had to get this chapter out before midterms start next week. But chapter six I can guarantee will be out next week.**

**I admit this chapter isn't as strong as it could be, but I promise that the next chapter will be better!**

**Leave me your thoughts =)**


	6. Chapter 6: I Feel it in My Bones

Chapter 6: I Feel it in My Bones

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**Two quick things. When I was going over some things I realized my math was off. I intended for Jason to be 17 but based off his birthday that I set in 2003 and the year I had going previously for this story, 2023, doesn't make him 17 XD. So I went back and did minor editing to some chapters(Chapters one, four, and five specifically). So the story is now set in 2020. Sorry. XD**

**And thank you once again for the support! You guys rock!**

* * *

These past couple weeks have been exhausting. I've been traveling nonstop. When I got to Georgia I knew heading north was a BAD idea. These, whatever these things are, seemed to have taken over the entire east coast. Going further up would be the equivalent of wishing for death. I changed course and began heading west. Spontaneous cross country trip.

These things were also heading west. Were they following me? Did they want to take over the west coast too? Did they want to take over the world? Based on what I've seen and heard, I don't think I sound crazy saying that. Every place I've been in so far was void of life. There were corpses everywhere. And there was an infestation of those chrome freaks. There was a bloodbath in every state. I can't handle blood. I don't know, it's just a problem I've had since I was a child.

I heard a vehicle behind me. It was chock full of those freaks. I hid in a nearby bush and waited for it to get close enough. Wherever these things are going, I'm going too. When it finally got close I jumped on the back of it. It had a large space in the back, to hold god knows what. It was far enough in the back that I could remain inconspicuous and be able to keep an eye on my surroundings. But this isn't a time to get too comfy. I have to stay awake. Taking a cat nap could mean my demise. I watched the world pass me by. A world that was screaming for help.

**~I~F~3~**

**May 1st, 2020**

How have I not gone crazy already? How am I still alive? What's going on? Where have I been and where am I going? When is all of this going to end? Why me?

Asking questions keeps the brain stimulated thus keeping me awake, aware and focused. Right?

I looked up and saw a sign that read "Welcome to Vale City California". Wow Vale City. I went here once with Zeke. Even though it was literally right next to L.A., Vale City was relatively calmer. Things weren't necessarily quiet, dead, and dull, but it was the place you wanted to be. And this place was _huge_. There was always something to do besides get wasted and party. On the' Happiest cities in America' list it's ranked number #1 and on the 'Best places to live in the world' list, it's ranked # 9. Those numbers don't lie. This place is simply stunning.

Even when the rest of the world looked like hell, this place still looked great. There were still people roaming the streets, carrying on their everyday lives. That's a first. Most cities I've seen were either bloody ghost towns or chock full of those chrome freaks.

I jumped out of the still moving vehicle and began walking in the great city. Compared to the other cities I've seen, this city was still in _very_ good shape. Sure the buildings were cracked a bit and pieces of the road were missing but it was still in really great shape.

"Have we found him yet?"

I recognize those voices anywhere.

I took cover behind a car and began to eavesdrop. My hearing has been really good lately.

"We have confirmed reports that the man in white is present in this city, but we have no confirmation his precise location yet."

Well I'm sure I'm not wearing white so they're not looking for me.

"We need to find him. That man will throw everything out of sorts. _He_ will not be happy if his plans are disrupted."

"Pass on the reports to the ones who have just arrived. We need to cover all areas of this city. He must be found and eliminated. Then we look for the boy."

Damn.

The two chrome freaks flew away…yeah, they flew away. I've got to be careful. This city must be overflowing with these freaks. I made a move to stand up but dizziness rushed in and ordered me to stay seated. Oh yeah, I've been awake for days. I need sleep…

But just falling asleep in the middle of the street may not be the smartest idea. Resting on the roof is probably my best bet. Time to practice my stealth skills.

**~I~F~3~**

**9:15 P.M**

After a few close encounters, some way too close for comfort, I managed to find an isolated building near the edge of the city. I climbed the building slowly due to exhaustion. I got to the roof and proceeded cautiously to avoid calling attention to myself. It was nighttime and the moon shined largely and brightly. There were no stars making their presence tonight, the moon outshining them all.

I found a secluded spot on the roof. The roof was doubled stacked and the moon cast a large shadow in the area between the stacks. The perfect hiding spot. My dark clothing makes it even better to blend in. I quickly moved to the area and made sure all my body parts were in the shadows. The area was large enough so I wouldn't have to worry about a rogue body part snaking out in the middle of the night ultimately blowing my cover. It's been way too long and I fell asleep instantly.

**2:27 A.M.**

I was startled out of my sleep when I got the overwhelming feeling that I wasn't alone up here.

_Just ignore it Jason, you can't give yourself away. Open your eyes and your cover is blown._

I know my bright purple eyes contrast the dark area I'm in. It just takes one eye, and I'm practically screaming, "I'M OVER HERE IDIOT!"

I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. My instincts were on full drive, adrenaline was being pumped throughout my body. Deep sleep is impossible now. The basic concept of sleep has fled. But I still kept my eyes closed. Then I heard footsteps getting closer, and closer…and closer.

Shit.

Like a lion ready to pounce, I'm ready to attack. Just attack and make my escape.

I played dead until the footsteps got close enough for me to launch an attack. Maybe I can just throw this guy off the roof and make a break for it. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Here we go.

That last footstep echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes meeting an unidentified person just inches away from me. Everything seemed to have moved in slow motion as I launched myself at my intruder.

Attack unsuccessful. The intruder overpowered me in a flash and grabbed my wrists in a vice like grip.

"Let go of me!" I yelled as I tried to power out of his grip.

"Calm down, I'm only here to talk." His voice was gravelly but calm and somewhat soothing.

I looked up at him but couldn't get a clear look at his face. He had on a white cap that covered most of his face.

"Just relax, I just want to talk. No funny business."

Something in the back of my mind told me to trust him. There's just something about him that deemed him trustworthy.

"Okay."

He loosened his grip on my wrists but didn't let them go. He held them briefly and I felt my wrists heat up and twitch for a few seconds. Then he let them go.

I immediately went to examine my wrists, expecting to see deep red marks and to feel some pain. But there wasn't any. There weren't any marks and there wasn't any pain.

I looked back up at him and his cap was off, revealing his face and his white jacket was slightly unzipped. As a matter of fact he was in all white, save for his shoes.

"…_confirmed reports that the man in white is present in this city…"_

"You're the guy they're looking for." I stated in shock.

"Yeah my fan base is always growing."

"Who are you?" He looked no less than thirty years old; had a shaved head with a light stubble beard; his skin was fair but had light scars on his face; his light blue eyes blended in nicely with the nightscape.

The stars are out now.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

"That's not important right now; I need to explain something to you Jason."

"How do you know my name?"

He ignored my question.

"I used to be the guardian of this world. I once protected the civilians of this world, smiting any threat that came to them. It was my duty to keep everyone safe and I made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure they would be safe from a being that threatened them. Now I notice that all that hard work and sacrifice was in vain, and this world is once again in deep trouble. Very, very deep."

"What do you mean?"

He moved towards me, raised his index and middle finger, and gently pressed them to my forehead. Multiple images began flashing through my mind. I saw a large blue explosion, a large red figure, and destruction everywhere. I saw the man before me in an offensive stance, ready to fight. There was lightning everywhere.

The images faded to snow, the sun setting, and colorful skies. Where am I?

"Do you remember this Jason? This is December 21st, 2012, approximately eight years ago." His voice broke through.

I remember now, this is the front yard my house.

"Yeah…but why are we here?"

"This was when I knew that the world really wasn't safe. This was when I that it was just the beginning of the end."

"What do y-" My question was cut off when everything suddenly went dark and dead quiet. Then a large beam of light shot down from the sky.

"What, what the hell is that?" I remember this, but at the same time, I kind of don't. I remember standing out here, transfixed. I stared at the beam of the light, completely ignoring Zeke's commands to get in the house.

"_Jason, GET IN HERE!"_

And I remember refusing to move.

Multiple explosions, a high pitched sound, and finally the flashback ended with a brief image fierce green eyes.

I found myself back in the present.

"Why did you show me that? What did that mean?"

He walked around the roof, contemplating what to say to me next.

"The torch has been passed on to you now, you know." Man this guy does not like answering questions.

"What torch?"

"Every decision I made affected the fate of this world. I was connected to this world. But now, I don't have that connection anymore. All I can do now is just play a small role in shaping its future."

"So…?"

"You're connected to this world now Jason. What _you_ do Jason, now affects its future."

Well great, no pressure there.

"I played a part in writing this world's history. 'The Fate of the World' is what is what this book was called."

Okay…

"I thought I had finished the final chapters of this book and then a new book would be started. But I was wrong. That ending was merely a cliffhanger. Now it's up to you to decide how this book ends."

"So…where's my pen?" There's always a right time to be a smart ass right?

He took hold of my wrists again. His grip was loose, but firm.

"Right here." White lightning went down his arms and soon I felt a shock go up mine. The electricity spread all throughout my body and I was in immense pain. He didn't let go of my wrists even as I fell to my knees. I immediately tripled my efforts keep my cries of pain as low as possible. If we were detected because my screams it would be the end of it.

The current died down and he let go of my wrists. This time I saw marks on my wrists.

"Don't worry those will go away in a few minutes."

I stood up and felt renewed. I felt awakened. I felt truly alive.

"What did you do?"

He didn't respond. He instead smiled, but it immediately dropped as he looked behind him.

"Shit, I've got to go. Stay low and meet me here in the morning. Make sure you aren't followed." He pressed his index and middle finger to my forehead and saw a rusted street sign. It read 'Matron Avenue'.

"I have to go now." He sat perched on the edge of the rooftop, ready to jump.

"Wait, I still have questions! What's your name?" He turned around and faced me.

"All in due time kid…all in due time." And with that he fell backwards. I quickly rushed over to try to get a glimpse of where he was going. But he was gone, and all that was left behind were a few electrical sparks.

**Chapter six, as promised =D I really wish I could do weekly updates more often.**

**Who's the man in white?! =)**

**Leave me your thoughts =)**


	7. Chapter 7: I'm Radioactive

**-A super big shout out to Zak Saturday for helping me out with this story. He's given me tons of ideas(such as the concept 'Vale City' & what Jason's powers will be) and support for this story. You rock!  
-Love the support guys! Thank you so much. Stay awesome =)**

* * *

Chapter 7: I'm Radioactive

I feel great. I feel amazing. I feel like a person. And it's not because it's the first time in a while that I've gotten a great night's sleep. Well kind of.

Whatever that man did…I just can't explain it. Who was he? His face is so damn familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it. Where have I seen or heard of him before?

_Meet me at this address in the morning._

Matron Avenue. I haven't the slightest idea where that is. I guess I better start looking if I want my questions answered. I jumped off the high rooftop and blended myself in with the crowd. It's absolutely mind boggling how the rest of the world is shit and this place is still very much alive and bright. The skies are blue, there's not a single cloud present, and the sun is shining brightly. The weather is nice and warm. There must be some invisible force keeping this place looking great.

**~I~F~3~**

I stopped by a small clothing store to get clothing more appropriate for this weather. I bought a black and white plaid shirt, some blue jeans, and converse sneakers. The total came out to $52.49. I paid and left the store. I stopped by in a dark alleyway and changed into my new clothes. I carried my old clothes at the local goodwill (this city has everything) and dropped them off. Someone may need them.

I went back on my quest to find my destination of Matron Avenue.

"Hey! Hey you there!" I turned around to meet two large men with red and black eyes and spider web tattoos on their shoulders.

"You new around here?" one of them asked me

Play it cool and hopefully you can stay out of trouble.

"Yeah. Just walking around, getting used to the view, things like that."

"Well we couldn't help to notice you. You're one us."

"One of whom?"

"Ya know a _conduit_. We can see it in your eyes."

"Ah, yeah…" I don't like where this is going.

"How would you like to join us? We're Chaos Syndicate. We fight for what's right against all in our way. What do you say? I can tell you're itching to mess with the chrome freaks here."

I have a bad feeling about these two and this supposed group "Chaos Syndicate". Something about them just seems off. Their spider web tattoos don't make me feel any better in trusting them.

"Um… I think I'll pass. But thanks for the offer." Maybe politeness can get me out of sticky situations instead of making me look like a pansy. Hopefully.

"Alright man. But the offer's always open. If you ever reconsider, come find us. We're wherever the chaos is." They turned and went down the dark alleyway behind them. I think I made the right choice here.

**~I~F~3~**

After some more stumbling around and tactful evasions of the chrome freaks, I finally arrived at my destination, Matron Avenue. The man in white wasn't here. I'm guessing punctuality isn't his thing. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone and decided to listen to music to pass the time. I shoved my ear buds into my ears and leaned on the wall of a nearby window with my arms crossed. I must look so cool right now.

I closed my eyes and got lost in the music.

"Hey. Jason."

I opened my eyes and was face to face with the man in white. He was breathing heavily and looked slightly disheveled.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to deal with some idiots harassing a civilian. They were trying to take his possessions, claiming it crucial in the fight against the chrome conduits. Brats unexpectedly had superpowers so taking care of them was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I at least managed to scare them off."

"It's okay, I haven't been here long." I responded.

He pulled down his hood but and removed his cap briefly to wipe some sweat off and let his head catch some air before placing on top his head again.

"You up for some climbing?" He asked me.

"Yeah sure."

"Okay, follow me." He ran up the building and quickly climbed the building with ease. He's obviously done this before.

I shoved my iPhone back into my pocket and climbed up the building. It took some effort, since I didn't have the same climbing abilities as him but I eventually caught up. We climbed up to an open window and entered through it. We wound up in the living room of a small but cozy apartment and I spotted another man on the couch. Wait…is that…?

"Zeke?"

The man looked up from the television and a wide smile invaded his face. We ran up to each other and embraced each other as if we haven't seen each other in years. But honestly, it did feel that long.

"Thank goodness you're alright." Zeke spoke. "I saw you slam into that wall and I thought you were…"

"The feeling's mutual." I responded back.

We hugged tightly one more time before composing ourselves. I turned to see the man in white with his cap off, sitting back on the sofa his jacket on the side, his feet crossed on the table, watching the television.

Boy, he settles down quickly.

"So Jason, first things off, I'd like you to meet your uncle Cole. Cole MacGrath."

My jaw immediately dropped.

"You- you're Cole MacGrath? The Cole MacGrath?" I spoke incredulously.

"Am I really _that _well known?"

"They've talked about you in my school. We had a whole unit in my sociology class about you."

"Oh god…" I shook his head in disbelief but had a small smile on his face.

"I told you man. You're famous." Zeke chipped in. "Jason come on, make yourself at home, take the load off."

I walked over the couch and sat down next to Zeke watching a news report.

… _Reports of super powered beings cropping up in Vale City are becoming more and more frequent. Correspondents have traveled to Vale City to gather evidence and first proof of these super powered beings, but all they've received are shady eye witness accounts and not action. Investigators say that there's nothing to worry about in Vale City and reassures everything is completely safe and sound with gentle giant that is Vale City…_

"Why is it brighter all of a sudden?" Cole questioned.

Brighter? Everything seems fine to me in here.

In my peripherals, I saw Zeke look over at me and heard him trying to stifle his laughter.

"What?"

"Alright, I'm not going to beat around the bush here, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Jason…you're…sort of…kind of…really…glowing." Zeke stated.

"What do you mean glowing? You mean from happiness or something."

"No you're literally glowing."

"Stop kidding around Dad." He's just messing with me like all fathers like to do with their sons.

"No he's right Jason; you're glowing brighter than a light bulb."

He's in on it too?

"Alright let me find a mirror and see what this is all about. You guys just feel like messing with me so I will get to the bottom of th-…"

Holy shit I'm glowing.

"Um guys…I'm glowing." I looked at my arms and studied them. I'm in awe, I'm fascinated, I'm amazed. I am completely…scared.

"So that's what your power is." Cole quipped.

"Power?" Zeke and I said simultaneously.

"Remember when I first encountered you? I grabbed your wrists and sent the shock of a lifetime up your arms?"

"Yeahhh…? That really hurt by the way."

"Well I knew you were a conduit but I didn't know what powers you would have. If it was anything dangerous I wouldn't have activated them but yours was just unreadable, practically undetected. So I decided to wing it and activated them anyway."

"So my power is glowing?" Evil doers shall fear me.

"No, you're a light conduit. You have the power over light."

"Cool, my son the light conduit. Has a nice ring to it."

"I guess so, but ah one question. How do I make it stop?"

"An awakened conduit has little to no control over their new abilities. They have to figure out how to control and explore their new abilities on their own. But I think I can help you. Light and electricity shouldn't differ too much."

"Okay…"

"Take a deep breath and focus on nothing but your power; focus on what you want to do. Exhale and follow through. Once you get at least half control over your abilities, you can just do these on the spot. No waiting, no deep breathing, no long thought processes. Give it a try."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I focused on nothing but light and to turning it off. I exhaled and opened my eyes and saw my brightness of my skin fade away until it was back to normal.

"It worked!"

"Nice! Now try concentrating it to small point, such as your hand. Do as you did before, but this time, focus on directing the light to your hand." Cole instructed.

I did the same thing I did before tried to concentrate the light to my hand. When I opened my eyes I had a small ball of light in my hand.

"Whoa…" Okay, now this is cool.

"I can help you exercise control but it's up to you to explore your abilities. Listen to your instincts; they sometimes know more than you do."

"Thanks Cole…Uncle Cole." He smiled at me and grabbed my shoulder.

"Um, Jason? You're glowing again." Cole chuckled softly.

Zeke's roaring laughter filled the apartment.

**1,266 views; 15 reviews; 7 favorites; 5 alerts. I didn't see this coming at all, thank you! It mean so much to me =)**

**I have decided that I will try to update this story at least once a month(twice if I'm lucky). School is getting annoying and senioritis is getting stronger! Perfect combination! The fight to keep my A average in French and Pre-Calculus is on! *leaves for battle* **

**Leave me your thoughts =)**

**By the way, for those who saw the PlayStation conference, did you see the epic trailers for inFAMOUS Second Son & Watchdogs?! If you didn't go see them now! ='D**


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

**This story is really blowing up! Thank you! You guys are awesome =)**

* * *

Chapter 8: Reunion

A couple of days have gone by and I'm starting to get better control of my powers. I've stopped myself from glowing involuntarily (thank goodness) and I can create also eject small projectiles from my hands. Cole's a really good mentor. There's no doubt he's done this for a long time.

But sometimes I feel like I'm pulling at an extra something. That something is calling at me. I don't really know. Maybe it's just me. Cole did say that being a little jittery after using powers can occur. Since I'm still a beginner at this type of thing, it seems plausible enough.

"I guess our next step is to scope out the city more, see what's really going on here." Cole stated.

"Yeah, we won't get anything useful or accurate from the news reports." Zeke spat.

"I would be very surprised if they ever did." I joked. Cole and Zeke chuckled in agreement.

"Hey Cole?" Zeke began. "You say when you see an unawakened conduit, you try to see what power they'll have before you decide to activate their powers?"

"Yeah what about it?"

"Well what power did you see for me?" Zeke had a very hopeful tone in his voice. Like it's been his lifelong dream to have powers.

"Huh, now that you mention it, yours was kind of hard to read too. Not as hard as Jason's but still tricky to read. But I did see a spark for something."

"Oh, okay." Zeke had a slight hint of disappointment his voice. Cole walked over to Zeke and placed his hand on his shoulder as an act of comfort.

"All powers make their appearance at some point, one way or another. Sure it took a few days for Jason and me, but not everyone's the same. All it takes is a little patience."

"Alright. Thanks Cole." Zeke smiled up at Cole.

These two really are like brothers.

"So shall we go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Lead the way Cole."

"No sweater and hat today?" I quipped.

"Ah, screw it. They know me as the hooded man in white. I think I'll be a little more under the radar like this." Cole responded.

Cole jumped out the open window and we followed in pursuit. Since Zeke and I are already used to jumping from tall heights, we were able to do it without hesitation.

**~I~F~3~**

We decided to take it easy and just walk around the city instead of doing some crazy parkour (much to the relief of Zeke). Vale City from the outside hasn't really changed, but on the inside at has a lot. The happy and lively city now had an air of melancholy. All people are focusing on is carrying out their lives as normally as possible. These chrome freaks guard almost every corner of city, all from the rooftops. They had an iron grip on this city. And just when you think things couldn't get worse, now there's a gang harassing the civilians. They sometimes fight against those chrome freaks but a lot of innocent people get caught in the crossfire.

I think it's time that this city caught a break.

"Vale city sure isn't what it used to be" Zeke spoke up.

"No doubt about it." I responded.

"How many times do we have to say no to your dumb ass?!" A rough female voice echoed out.

"Come on." Cole ran to the source of the voice and we followed. When we rounded the corner we spotted five men surrounding two women. One woman was wearing a black vest jacket, leather pants tucked into boots, and wore her hair up. She looked ready to snap the necks of these five guys.

Behind her stood another woman with piercing blue eyes, had short dark blue hair, and wore black jeans, shoes, and an open blue jacket with the sleeves rolled up, with a black shirt underneath. She had a very annoyed look plastered on her face.

"Come on," one of the men spoke up. "We could use some more pretty faces in our gang. And to top it off, you pretty ladies are just like us. It's perfect."

"Do you fools know the meaning of _no_? We ain't interested!"

"Playing hard to get, I see. We can we say or do to you lovely ladies to change your minds?"

"We should step in shouldn't we?" I spoke up. I started walking towards the group but was halted by Cole's firm grip on my arm."

"No need, these ladies can handle themselves." Cole said with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Snow white! You know what to do girl!"

I turned and saw the five men being suspended in mid-air, via oil.

"Do it!" One of them screamed out.

Streams of ice began hitting the restrained men. The oil exploded sending all five men airborne before crashing down.

"Yeah! That's how you do it!" The two girls lightly high-fived each other, then turned and noticed us standing there.

"Cole baby, were you standing there the entire time?"

"Yeah, that was quite a scene." Cole responded.

"These assholes didn't know the meaning of no. So they had to pay the consequences."

"Zeke, you remember Nix and Kuo?"

"Yeah I remember them. Great to see you two but it's weird to see you guys getting along though."

"Yeah we's cool now. Who's the little one?"

I'm not little…am I?

"Jason, meet Lucy Kuo and Nix. Kuo, Nix, meet Jason." Cole said.

I stepped up to them and shook Kuo's hand. When I turned to Nix, she stared at me briefly, before deciding to shake my hand.

"Is he the one you've been talking about Cole?" Kuo asked.

"Yep, that's him." Cole responded. "How's your "student" doing?"

"He learns quickly that's for sure. He almost has full control over his abilities. His powers are extraordinary."

"He can do some pretty crazy stuff. I feel sorry for the fool who winds up on his bad side." Nix chipped in.

"Speaking of which, what's he up to now?"

"He's back at the hideout, hanging out probably going over some stuff with the others."

"Others?" I asked

"Yeah, we've put together a little sanctuary here in Vale City. It's a safe place for anyone who wants to get away from the craziness and it's here to help fight back against the chrome freaks. We're doing the exact opposite Chaos Syndicate is doing here; instead of creating problems or making things worse, we're trying to fix them. But it's not that easy." Cole explained.

"Where you guys located?" Zeke asked.

"Follow us, we'll take you there."

"Um guys? What happened to the five dead bodies that were here?"

**~I~F~3~**

We stopped in front of a medium sized building. Cole walked up to the door and placed his hand firmly on the door. A small keypad flipped out. He entered a code and the doors opened.

"Zeke, Jason, this is how you get in. Place your hand anywhere on the door, keep it there until this keypad flips out. Enter your name and the computer will cross check to make sure that your name is in our database. It's a good safety so no undesirables get in." Cole explained.

We entered through the doors and walked up two flights of stairs before walking into a large room. This room was the size of two large apartments. There was a large T.V. in the center, a computer in the corner, sofas and chairs everywhere. Zeke and I walked around and saw A LOT of rooms.

There are quite a lot of people here as well; ranging from small children to adults. Another thing had caught my eye. There's quite a bit of conduits here as well; awakened ones and unawakened ones alike. One had the power over the metal, another, the power over earth, and another, the power over water. There was a lot of variation here. Almost everyone had their own unique abilities. There were a lot of a regular people here as well. Everyone looked comfortable and content to be here.

"Wow." Was the only thing I could say about this place.

"We have more floors, but they're mainly used for surveillance, storage, and helping new conduits with controlling their new found abilities."

"This is just, wow." I was just blown away by this place. This place takes the meaning "don't judge a book by its cover" to a whole new level.

"Cole." A man spoke up. "*John and Sasha are still making their way here, they are now located in Indiana."

"Okay. No problem. Zeke, Jason, make yourself at home, or you can check out the rest of the building. Up to you." Cole sat down on the sofa and watched the big screen T.V.

Zeke went to sit next to him, Kuo went over the computer to help the ones sitting there, and Nix went to entertain the kids in the corner. I decided to look around the apartment some more. I went down the hallway and looked into the open rooms. They were your standard bedrooms; one bed, a nightstand, the works. There was a single closed door at the end of the hallway. For the sake of privacy, I knocked on the door first, before coming in. I heard a soft "come in", then I opened the door. There was a teenage boy sitting on the floor making various ice shapes between his hands.

"Yes? How may I help y-" His sentence was cut off when he looked at me. He gasped softly.

He looks very, very familiar.

"Jason?" he asked incredulously.

No way…

He stood up and walked over to me to get a closer look.

It is him!

"Oh my god…" he spoke softly.

No more words were needed. We embraced each other tightly. Separated all those years ago and here we are again.

I felt my shirt sleeve becoming moist. I didn't care because I knew the same was happening to his.

I guess a pinkie promise, really is a pinkie promise.

***= Read my fanfic Back to Beginnings to get a better understanding =3**

**Had to dish this out before diving into Pre-Calculus. Have I told you guys how much fun this class has become? -_-"**

**Who did Jason reunite with? You'll find out next chapter =)**

**Leave me your thoughts =)**


	9. Chapter 9: Childhood Memories

Chapter 9: Childhood Memories

Who knows how long we stood there hugging. Who knows if whether or not someone has walked in on us yet. Who knows, who knows.

Who cares?

"Tyson." I had to say the name to completely believe it. Someone I had lost years ago, brought back to me through a simple, child like gesture.

Never again shall I doubt the power of a pinkie promise.

We finally let go of each other and looked into each other's eyes. He's definitely become a conduit; his blue eyes have taken a more icy tone to them. Because of his power, his skin was a few degrees cooler than normal. But he's still the same Tyson I've become friends with.

"Man you have no idea how good it is to see you again." He spoke up. Puberty worked with him well. His voice sounds more like an adult's and smoother, even his French accent has eased up some. Good thing, it was so hard to understand him when he had that heavy French accent.

"Likewise, man. I thought I wasn't going to see you again. How have you been? Were you finally adopted?" I asked him. I've heard of kids sometimes never being adopted and spending almost all of their life in an orphanage until they were legal to be on their own.

"Ehh, not really. I kind of fled that place."

"You did? Why?"

"Well other than my episodes of emotional and somewhat mental breakdowns, I kind of just felt like it. I guess I was just tired of not doing much. I wanted to see more of the outside world. So when everyone was asleep, I snuck out and decided to take the world by storm."

"Wow so, emotional and mental breakdowns?"

"Yeah, I um kind of…quote, unquote "lost it" after you left…" Tyson spoke nervously.

I'm not surprised. As a child, Tyson has experienced and witnessed things that a child shouldn't have. Not only were his parents killed at an early age, he witnessed their deaths. Every gory detail of it was unwillingly committed to memory. Before going to the St. Ignatius Orphanage, he was briefly taken in by his uncle.

And he didn't have a grand time there either. His uncle blamed him for the death of his only brother and beloved sister in law. The amount of abuse he received there is staggering.

"I got you Ty; I would have lost it too." I spoke in an understanding tone.

"But I'm fine now. Tout est bien." During our time in the orphanage, Tyson taught me some French. I can't really speak it fluently, but I can understand what's he's saying, 99% of the time.

"That's good, c'est…bon. That was a pretty nifty trick you had going on there."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool having these ice powers, no pun intended. What about you? Did you get anything special?

"Yeah," I lifted my hand, creating a ball of light. "I have the power over light."

"Wow that's really cool! What else can you do?" He asked excitedly.

"Well what else can you do?"

"I asked you first." He replied with a knowing smile.

Ah, our childhood.

We spent time showing each other the extent of our abilities. Tyson was able to make it snow indoors, manipulate ice into practically any shape or form in existence, and even made a miniature, fully alive, ice dog.

I showed him my ability to make a star, an orb, my glowing ability, and even shot out a few streams of light.

We decided to get creative and wanted to see what our powers would look like if they were combined or mixed together in a way. The results we got were quite enjoyable and cool to see; an illuminated snow storm, an ice star within a ring of light, playing fetch with an ice dog. We may have spent hours here just goofing off and rekindling our friendship.

But I don't regret a single moment of it.

**~I~F~3~**

"Hmm, I wonder where Jason wandered off to." Zeke mused.

"Now that you mention it, where did he go?" Cole questioned.

"I saw him go into that room about two hours ago" Kuo spoke up.

"Come on; let's go see what he's up to." Cole got up and made his way over to the door at the end of the hallway, Zeke following him.

Tyson held his hand a few inches over mine. He was creating a miniature snow storm in his hands while I had a light disk in the palm of my hand. We joked that it was "snow falling on the sun."

"Well isn't this a middle finger to all things scientific? Someone should call NASA and say that snow on the sun is possible." I joked.

"That could be arranged." Cole's voice startled us both, stopping our actions. Cole and Zeke walked in the room.

"Hey dad, you remember him? It's Tyson."

"Yeah, he was the little French boy at the orphanage. How're you doing Tyson?"

"I'm doing well thank you. Good to see you again Zeke." The two shook hands.

"So what have you two been up to over here?" Cole asked.

"Just catching up." I responded. "It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"I can see that. I also see you guys have found out about two conduits, compatible ones being able to combine their powers. That was a pretty cool trick you guys were doing there." Cole responded.

"Yeah, I kind of picked it up after seeing it action with Kuo and Nix."

"I still can't get over how friendly those two are with each other now. They used to be at one another's throats." Zeke mused.

"I guess anything's possible now, especially in this day and age." Cole responded.

"So how about you guys tell your story, I'm actually intrigued about your back-story how you met, became friends and all." Cole asked.

"Ah sure, why not." Tyson responded.

Tyson and I recounted the story of our friendship. I had asked Tyson what had happened to him after I left. I was shocked. I had a feeling Tyson snapped, but I didn't think it was this bad. It's astounding how much of an impression you can leave on a person.

"You hated me Tyson?" Zeke asked.

"Yes, I did. I was mad because you took my best friend away from me. But that was the past, I was a child, I didn't know what I was thinking or doing. I was a bit imbalanced after all. But don't worry I do not hate you anymore Zeke."

"Gosh if I knew how much Jason meant to you, I never would have taken away from you. Sorry."

Tyson smiled. "If you didn't, we all wouldn't be here having this moment right now. Like I said Zeke, it was in the past. I no longer have feelings of animosity towards you." Tyson reassured.

Tyson fled the orphanage during the freak blizzard of April 16th. 2016, when he was 13 years old. I remember that day. New Marais had gotten twenty inches of snow.

"I am not really certain how I survived. I just did not feel the cold or the snow." Tyson explained.

"Must of have been the element you control. Sometimes, unawakened conduits show either superhuman abilities or characteristics of the power that's dormant in their body." Cole explained.

"That makes sense." Tyson mused.

Tyson told how he wandered the streets and spent most of his time at the New Marais library just reading the greats of the world. He told us how the librarian, Kayla, soon recognized who he was; the boy who was believed to have died during the freak blizzard. She kept this a secret and took him in. She used to be a college professor so she personally took it upon herself to teach him; math, science, history, whatever was possible. But in 2019, during the chrome conduit attack, she was killed. Tyson ultimately decided to flee New Marais altogether.

"Then I found Lucy Kuo and she took me to you Cole. And here I am now."

"You've got a hell of a story kid." Zeke said. "Even with a crazy story like that, I can say you turned out pretty well, better than most would with the same situation."

"I agree. Even hearing that story a second time still sends a chill up my spine." Cole said.

Tyson waved them off politely with a soft smile on his face.

There was a soft knock on the door, all of us turned our attention to a man.

"Cole, John and Sasha have arrived in Vale City. They will be here in approximately ten minutes. They say that they have important information." The man spoke.

"Alright, I'll be there." Cole and Zeke got up. "We'll leave you two to catch up further." Cole and Zeke walked out of the room leaving Tyson and I alone once again.

"If it gets boring here, we could go around Vale City." Tyson spoke.

"No I'm fine here, besides those chrome conduits are after me, it might be best if I stay here."

"They look for me too. They called me a stray."

"Then I guess we have nothing to lose."

"Okay, let's go." Jason and I got up and made our way out of the building. "Be careful you guys." Kuo instructed us.

We walked out of the building and into the sunshine beauty of Vale City. The world could get shittier and shittier, but nothing will ever stop this city from looking great.

I felt something hit the back of my head. It felt cold and wet. I reached around and confirmed my feelings. Snow? But it's gorgeous! How can…?

I heard snickering behind me.

When I turned around, Tyson had a look on face full of mischievousness. "Wasn't me." He said.

"Oh you're so going to get it now." I smirked at him. He laughed and ran off and I was right behind him in pursuit.

"_Hey who threw that snow ball?"_

"_Wasn't me…"_

"_Oh you're so going to get it now!"_

**Meet Tyson; full name Tyson Verglas (last name means ice in French).**

**A little bit more about Jason & Tyson's past is delved into here as well.**

**Leave me your thoughts =)**


	10. Chapter 10: Light & Ice, Flames & Dark

**Thanks for reading! =)**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Light and Ice Meet the Flames and the Darkness

"Come on, I know a safer part of the city, it's just south of here."

"Now when you mean safe..." I responded.

"Safe in the sense that there is a lot less chrome conduits. That area of the city has a lot less patrols for some odd reason."

"Okay let's go." Tyson isn't the one for trouble. He aims to stay away from it at all costs. He wouldn't touch it even with a *thirty nine and a half foot pole (Ah my childhood... good times.)Even back at the orphanage, he was a good child, an angel. But he was very quiet and people around him had mistaken his quietness for hostility which was why he was always alone.

I got off on a tangent there but, I know I can trust Tyson. He's not and never has been a trouble maker (intentionally.) Now an old friend of mine, he's a different story. Mister "Living on the Edge"; his "Fuck the System" attitude. The wild child was what I affectionately nicknamed him. He's a good kid, without a doubt. He has shown me glimpses of his calmer and more caring side. But I may never know if he truly stuck with it, it could have been just a phase.

"Jason? Are you okay?" Tyson broke me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts."

"That's dangerous." He jokingly replied.

"I guess you would know" I replied.

We laughed lightly before going on our way.

**~I~F~3~**

After some time (and a brief racing session) we arrived in the southern part of Vale City. Tyson wasn't lying, as usual. This area looks generally cleaner and quieter than the other parts of the city. This area was much more alive and the people appeared to be a lot happier and content. And I have yet to see a single chrome conduit.

Curious.

"Have you been to this part of the city before Jason?" Tyson asked.

"No, I mainly stayed in the north the last time I came here." A couple of years back, Zeke and I spent the summer in Vale City. We had heard so much hype about it so we decided to see what the fuss was about. When we got here, we not only found at that this place was heaven on Earth, that it was HUGE. After much thought we decided to stay in the North, seeing as it seemed to the most active.

And active it was.

"Come, I will show you around. This area is usually a bit quieter and a lot less rowdy than the north, but given the current situation, it's no surprise that things have changed." Tyson explained.

"Everything is changing Ty. I came here from North Florida. That part of Florida was gone, dead. Not a single trace of human life. When I arrived here, it had been the first time I had seen human life in approximately four months."

"C'est terrible. It's like something is trying to make an evolutionary change this world. Je ne sais pas…"

"What do you mean?"

"Par exemple, the way the chrome conduits appeared just seemed unnatural to me. It was spontaneous but at the same time, very well planned out. Deuxième, I think it's too coincidental that the number of conduits suddenly increased in a matter a few years when the standard was one in thousand for hundreds of years. Now the chances of discovering a conduit at the least are 1 in 5."

He does have some striking points about that. As a child, Zeke told me a lot of bed time stories. He expected me to filter them at being fictional rather than real. But everything he told me sounded too real to be made up. I thought there was no way that Zeke would put in so much effort in coming up with such elaborate stories that went on for hours.

Everything he told me, especially about conduits seemed sketchy to me. His stories struck a chord in me. Conduits did not occur naturally, that much I was able figure out. Something or someone created conduits as a means to compete with humanity, to kick start a new phase in evolution; to provide the fuel that would ignite a revolution. And based on what Zeke told me about the Ray Sphere, it concreted that that my theory may actually be true.

But who even knows anymore?

"You have very strong points Ty. I wouldn't be surprised"

"Le monde est plein de surprises."

"Ain't that the truth…"

"Come, I still much to show you."

"Get back here you little twerp!"

"Qu'est ce que c'est la? Come on." The both of us made our way to the source of the voice.

As we got near an alleyway, a group of men came running out. Well, seven of them were running; the eighth one, who appeared to be a teen boy, was flying on a jet stream of fire.

"Come on!" I was interesting on how this situation would play out.

Tyson and I went after the group of men. So we could have a better (and safer) view of the situation, we took to the rooftops. We ran across the rooftops to keep up with the group.

"You guys never learn!" That voice…

The high speed pursuit went on for miles. After checking our surroundings we realized that we were once again back in the north side of Vale City.

The chase continued on until an inevitable end was reached; a dead end in an alleyway.

"Now we got you little shit." Once of the men spoke menacingly.

"Come at me bitches." The teen cried out.

"You've been a pain in our asses too long now…"

"But you know what's really good for pain? Heat!" The teen let out a large stream of fire that consumed the entire alleyway. When the flames died out, the seven men were down, and the teen was the only one left standing.

"And that's why you don't play with fire. This is why you don't mess with Derek Ardor!"

Holy crap.

"Derek!" I cried out. I haven't seen this guy in the longest time.

I jumped down from the rooftop and landed a few feet from him.

"Yeah? And what do yo-" His question was cut off as soon as he saw who I really was. Just in time too, because I'm pretty sure he was two steps away from torching my ass.

"Jason?" He proclaimed. "Man how has it been since I've seen you pretty boy?"

"It's been too long I guess." I replied.

"Well what're you waiting for? Don't leave me hanging!" He opened up his arms in preparation for a hug. I stepped forward and hugged him and he hugged back.

After some time, we separated.

"So, I see you have some powers there." I stated.

"You bet your ass I do. The power of fire; can you believe how fitting that is?"

"Without a doubt, it certainly fits you in every aspect. So now I guess the wildest child makes the wildest fires?"

"You know it and don't you forget it."

"I won't"

Just then, Derek came down from the rooftop. To ensure his safe landing (you can't be too safe sometimes), he exhausted some cool winds from his feet.

Derek noticed this. "So, who's the ice prince?"

"Oh, Derek this is my friend Tyson; Tyson this is my friend Derek." I stepped back to let the two have a formal introduction.

"A pleasure to meet you." Tyson held out his hand to shake Derek's.

Derek scoffed. "Shouldn't be."

Okay, well we're off to a great start.

"We're not done with you asshole."

The men on the ground started to move and began to rise.

"Ah shit, when you guys going to learn to stay down? Unless you're readying to run, I have no problem with torching your asses again." Derek took on a fighting stance.

Tyson and I stepped back, knowing that we would not want to be caught in the crossfire of Derek's attack.

"We should help him." Tyson spoke.

"I don't need help and I certainly don't need help from you ice prince." Derek responded.

Tyson and I silently agreed to help Derek nonetheless.

Derek released out multiple streams of fire. Had he had been more accurate, he could of taken them all out, instead of two. Tyson shot out a stream of cold air and snow. It wasn't so much as an offensive attack but more of a tactful one. The cold air and snow blinded them, stunning them. I guess this is my cue.

Since I was still relatively new at this, I was hesitant in launching my attack. Once I was sure I was confident and focused, I launched my attack.

Time slowed down as I raised my arms to attack. My vision flashed white a few times before darkening. Time froze momentarily before reverting back to normal. The intensity of the attack caused quite a bit of recoil and caused me to stumble a bit.

"Whoa…" Derek whispered out.

"Sacrebleu…" Tyson whispered out.

When I opened my eyes, the remaining men we restrained on the ground and on the walls alike by binds of swirling darkness.

Wait a second, didn't I have the power of light?

"My man!" Derek broke me out of my thoughts by patting me on the shoulders.

"Jason," Tyson walked over to me. "Didn't you have the power of light? Ou est-ce que je devenant fou?"

Derek gave him a strange, confused look. "What the hell are you even saying ice prince?"

"I…I don't know. We need to see Cole." I stuttered. This is really unusual. I was just dumbfounded but I just saw, what I just did. It didn't feel wrong or negative( or evil for that manner) but it just brought strange sensations. I'm still a newborn conduit after all. I haven't completely figured this type of thing out yet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cole? Are you talking about Cole MacGrath? _The_Cole MacGrath?" Derek exclaimed.

"Yes, he's here." I replied.

"Get the hell out of here! The Demon himself, is alive and here in Vale City?"

"Oui." Tyson replied.

"Man I love that badass son of a bitch! He's my idol!" Derek gushed.

"Anyway, we should get going. This ruckus is sure to attract some attention, if it hasn't already."

"Tyson's right. Let's go Derek."

The three of us walked out of the alleyway, leaving the restrained group of men.

"Man, did you know that Cole was here?

"Now I sure as hell did not know that."

"Boys, do you have any idea of the doors this could open for us? Potentially having Cole MacGrath on our side?"

"Nyala is going to want to hear this. She's been drooling over Cole MacGrath for years."

"And if those three punks follow him, man it could just get that much sweeter. Did you see what that one kid did? "

"How could I not?"

"Thanks for the sarcasm asswipe. But nonetheless, boys we got a job to do."

***= I was listening to my iTunes on shuffle and THIS song came up. So I thought, why not XD**

**Quick Note: Ch.11 & 12 are going to be sort of "filler" chapters so you could know more about Tyson and Derek and their relationship to Jason. The both of them should be posted in May. =3**

**Leave me your thoughts =)**


	11. Chapter 11 - Before the Freeze

**Hello. =)**

**Quick note: This chapter AND chapter 12 are FILLER chapters. If you aren't a fan of filler chapters, then all I ask is for a bit of patience. Chapter 13 will return to the regular plot line of the story. I kind of need a small break this month. =3**

**Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading! =)**

* * *

Chapter 11: Before the Freeze – Tyson Verglas

**Tyson P.O.V**

"Look at me Tyson."

I looked up at the mysterious man. He looks vaguely familiar.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cole MacGrath."

"Oh mon dieu. It's you. To what do I owe this honor of standing before you right now?"

"You're a conduit for one. But relax; I'm not as almighty as others may put me as."

Cole MacGrath. Such an honor. A hero to humanity and a Saint. He's a great man who has done great things. He selflessly laid down his life to save millions. Being able to continue living must a reward of sorts.

"Before I do this, I would like to know a little more about you."

"What would you like to know?"

"Everything, or as much as you can recall. I can tell that you had a rough time growing up. I'd like to know what happened."

"Hmm, where could I start?"

"At the beginning would be preferable."

"Alright…"

**~I~F~3~**

My name is Tyson Verglas and I was born on February 28th, 2004 in sunny New Marais. Both my parents came here to the U.S. from France in 1990 and spent many years moving all over the country trying to find a nice place to inhabit. Once they arrived in New Marais they knew that this place was it. This place was perfect to settle down and have a family. Keep in mind that New Marais wasn't always "party central" and filled to the brim with drunkards. New Marais was quite peaceful back then. How I wish New Marais had kept that reputation.

On my fifth birthday, my parents were slain during a violent robbing of our home. The hooligans broke in demanding all of our valuables. But my parents, god rest their souls, were very strong and resilient. They were not ones to succumb so easily to others' demands. They fought back and did they fight. But alas, as strong as they were, the numbers were still against them. Witnessing my parents killed before my eyes is an image that will never leave my mind. It had been forever imprinted in my mind and keeps replaying like a broken record.

Since there was no one left to look after me, I was sent to the St. Ignatius Orphanage. Both my parents. Dead. And here I am. Alone in the world.

I was very quiet at the orphanage which made me undesirable to most adults. They had mistaken my silence for hostility. I was just a scarred, wordless child, looking for love, someone to care about me. It's not a large or overbearing demand, something simple, is it not?. But I never received it. I just accepted the fact that until I would turn 18, I would spend the rest of my childhood and adolescence here. Alone.

But then things started to look up for me.

A few months later, a young boy by the name of Jason Alias was admitted here. Most children here left me alone and thought I was strange because I was so quiet. But Jason didn't think that of me. He saw me as someone who desperately needed a friend. In almost no time, a bond formed between us and we formed a fast friendship.

One of the main reasons we bonded so quickly was because of our similar pasts. His mother was killed in the Great Flood of 2004 that had devastated New Marais. The flood washed away everything; he and his father were left with nothing. His father had to work three jobs just to make ends meet. He wished he could do something to help his father but he couldn't.

A little while later his father was drafted to serve in the army. At the time the U.S. had a strong alliance with South Africa. This lead to his father being sent to serve at a base known as Vermaak 88. With no one to look after him, he was sent here. Jason was curious as to whether or not his father may come back for him.

But he stayed positive.

"If he dies, I know that he died protecting me. That's how I think of it with my mom too. She saved us; she died protecting us." He told me.

His statements broke me out of my emotional duress. When I look back, I realize my parents did indeed die protecting me. Their death was not without reason. It's still a tragedy but perhaps, not as tragic as I make it out to be. My parents are my heroes and I'm sure they continue to look after and protect me.

Jason had broken me out of my shell. I was a lot happier, interactive, and optimistic. Jason and I spent every waking moment together. Even through the tougher times.

In June 2011, Jason and I had caught a severe strain of the plague that was going around in New Marais. The Plague had already claimed the lives of hundreds, possibly thousands throughout the city. We weren't expected to live for more than a week. But we managed to fight. There odds were clearly not in our favor but we fought to stay alive, much to the amazements of the doctors and anyone else around us.

Then in a little over a month later, we were miraculously cured of The Plague. There wasn't a trace of it anywhere; it was like we never had it to begin with. The doctors were bewildered but thankful that the only children patients to ever be diagnosed with The Plague were not the latest victims.

Through these miserable times, Jason and I grew even closer, our bond stronger. We were brothers.

But the sad truth of life is that nothing lasts forever.

On March 16th, 2012, Jason was adopted by a man named Zeke Dunbar. I was devastated when I heard the news, saddened. My best friend, my brother would soon be taken away from me. But before he left, Jason came up to me, sticking his pinkie out.

I knew what this was and I followed through.

"A promise. We will definitely see each other again one day. I promise you that I will see you again." He said.

"And I promise to see you again." I responded.

We hugged each other tightly and for a long amount of time.

"Jason, it's time to go." A woman had peered into the room we were in, glossy eyed.

"Bye Tyson."

"Bye Jason."

With that Jason had walked out of the room. And out of my life.

Since that eventful day, I won't deny it, I grew to become…imbalanced. The fact that now three people that I held dear to my heart left me was unbearable. Not only did revert to my quiet self, I actually fulfilled the stereotype that came with being silent. I became hostile, hard to deal with, even throwing tantrums multiple times a day. Any method of trying to comfort me was met with a cold glare and sometimes violence. I also despised the man who took my friend, my brother away from me. I cursed Zeke Dunbar with every fiber of my being, praying that something dire would happen to him so that my friend would come back. The people working in the orphanage had given up on trying to help me. So they simply confided me to a room. Food and toys were still provided on a regular basis but they had simply left me be. Hoping that one day, I would outgrow this behavior and move on, on my own.

And it seemed that I have.

Later that year, on December 21st, 2012, things had begun to turn around. I don't know what happened exactly but all the emotional turmoil and scarring had just left me. I no longer felt angry or sad at anyone or anything. For the first time in months, I left my little room to be out in the open. The people working there were shocked but prepared in case that this was a new form of my lashing out (I have been getting rather…creative as of late).

"I'm sorry" I muttered out.

I was deeply sorry. I realize that my behavior as of late was unacceptable. Despite being young, I should have handled my situation a little more maturely. I shouldn't have caused so much trouble over something that passes over time. I just refused to let it go. But now, I think I finally let it go; I was ready to move on in life.

A few silent tears slipped out and they simply picked me up and hugged me tightly. I hugged them back. After some time, they set me down.

"Go and try to play with the other children, okay Tyson?"

I happily obliged.

**~I~F~3~**

Quite some time had passed. I was now thirteen years old. At this time, something began to stir inside me. No, it wasn't the usual "undesirables" that occur when going through the stages of puberty. It was the want of leaving. At a younger age, I had accepted that I would remain here until I turned 18. But, it's hard to explain. I just wanted to see more. For seven years I was seeing the same things over and over with no end. I wanted to see more.

On April 16th, an out of the ordinary snow storm was brewing outside. It's not common for there to be this much snow to fall in the middle of April; in the middle of spring. Especially in New Marais. But much like anything else in this world haven't seen it before. I was allured by it.

So that night I decided to indulge my curiosity. I gathered my items and as much food as possible and fled from the orphanage. Once I felt that brisk cold air and the snow fall on my skin, it felt right. I felt the cold air but I wasn't deeply affected by it. It felt nice, invigorating. But this could all be from the adrenaline rush of escaping. If I continue stay out here for a prolonged period of time, I could lose my life.

It was then I spent my days weaving in and out of buildings. I soon made it habitual to go the newly built New Marais Library. Here I spent my time reading the world's finest and greats. I was intoxicated with the knowledge I received from reading.

"Young man?" The librarian Kayla called out to me.

"Yes Madame? Am I disturbing you?" I asked. I would hate to be a burden.

"Not at all, just curious. You come here in the morning then don't leave until nightfall. Don't your parents worry about you?"

"Ah…non. My parents are dead. I recently fled the St. Ignatius Orphanage. I live on the streets now."

"Oh you poor child. And I'm glad you left that orphanage, I heard some nasty things about that place. May I have your name?"

"My name is Tyson Verglas, Madame."

"You're Tyson?! By gods, they thought you were dead! They thought the snow storm killed you!" Kayla exclaimed.

"Well you are most certainly not seeing a ghost. Je ne suis mort pas."

"My god well I can't stand to know that a nice young man like you is wandering the streets. Please, let me put a roof over your head and warm food in your belly."

"You don't have to…"

"No, I want to. By the way, I've never seen someone blaze through Shakespeare as quick as you did. Most people borrow his books and I won't see them for weeks, even months at a time. You have some potential."

"Oh merci Madame."

"I'm also a part time college professor; I could teach you more about the greats and the mysteries of the world. No cost of course."

"That would be lovely thank you."

"Come on. It's high time that I lock up anyway."

Kayla was a brilliant teacher. She taught and made me well versed in almost every subject known to man. In two years, I was already working on and studying college level subjects. My favorite subject, that I hope to pursue sometime in my life, is Psychology. The human mind is fascinating and learning and understanding why people do certain things and act certain ways was intriguing.

Everything was going well. Kayla said she could look into a program that would allow me to get a college degree by the time I turned 16. I politely declined, but she looked into it anyway. Such a nice and sweet woman.

Almost reminds me of my mother.

**~I~F~3~**

In 2019, tragedy struck. A group of men in chrome uniforms had broken into our home. They killed Kayla. I narrowly escaped before the group of men destroyed her home. Once I reached the outside, I saw that New Marais was in disarray. Everything was in shambles, corpses everywhere. I also noticed that these individuals in chrome uniforms had supernatural abilities.

I recall Kayla talking to me about theories of humans being capable of possessing supernatural abilities. Individuals who possessed this gift also possessed something called the conduit gene. Putting two and two together would make these individuals conduits.

They littered the streets, shooting at everything and everyone that was in sight.

I couldn't stay here.

I fled New Marais. Soon enough I was wandering the states. Every state I had arrived to was practically destroyed and void of life. All I saw were…Chrome Conduits (if that's the proper name for them).

"You there!" I turned around and saw a woman with icy blue eyes, pale skin, and blue hair coming towards me. She grabbed my face and looked into my eyes.

"You're one of us. Come on, let's get you somewhere they can't get to you." She said.

I didn't have time to ask questions before she grabbed my hand and ran off.

"We're not too far, but just to be on the safe side..." She took my arm and wrapped it around her waist and she took her arm and wrapped it around my neck. She jumped in the air and twirled us around. Then I felt us traveling at high speeds. Eventually, we landed in front of a building.

"Where are we?" I asked. I've never seen this place before.

"We're in Vale City; the remaining safe place in this country, possibly the world."

**~I~F~3~**

"And here I am before you."

"You've got one hell of a story kid."

"I suppose. So what happens now?"

"Well, I'm going to activate your powers. You're a conduit but your powers and abilities haven't been activated yet. From the looks of it, you may have ice based powers, but then again I could be wrong."

"Well, okay."

Cole walked towards me and firmly grabbed my wrists.

"This may hurt a bit." Then I felt a strong jolt go up my arms. The temperature of the room plunged. _Il fait tr__è__s tr__è__s froid_. Cole let go of my wrists and I fell to the ground, onto my knees, clutching myself. I was shivering immensely.

Then everything reverted to normal. The room was at a comfortable temperature and I no longer felt cold.

"I knew it. Ice powers."

I opened my eyes, stood up and began to examine myself. I still looked the same but I felt different. I lifted my hands; once in view a ball of ice appeared.

"Cute." Cole said with a smile.

I was amazed. I moved my right hand to the left and a trail of icy mist followed. When I did the same with my left, moving it to the right, the same thing occurred.

"You'll obviously need help in mastering these abilities. Kuo-" He made a gesture towards the woman who brought me here. "-can definitely help you in that field. If there's anyone who could help you, it's her."

"Thank you Cole. But I feel guilty, how can I repay you?"

He pondered the question for a while. "There is something you can do."

"What is it? Anything."

"Fight." He said. "Fight for our rights; for humanity's rights. Someone wants to change the way this world looks and runs. Someone wants humanity extinct and for conduits to be the dominant species. It's not right. I firmly believe that Humanity and Conduits can co-exist. But I can't fight this alone. I need your help and as much help as I can get. So please Tyson. I ask you; Join us in the fight for what's right."

"Je peux le faire. I can do that."

"Awesome. There other people here as well. Feel free to go and greet them as well."

" Thank you for this opportunity. You have given my life… meaning." I smiled, turned and left the room with Kuo.

**Cole P.O.V**

I think I have too Tyson. Before the freeze, you've been aimlessly wandering around, not really sure on what to do with your life. But now you play an important role. This is going to be one hell of a fight. I'm confident you and the others will stop at nothing make this world right. I need you guys more than you know.

Because I sure as hell can't do this on my own.

**I hope you liked this, l****eave me your thoughts =)**


	12. Chapter 12: Ignite the Flames

**Another filler chapter. If you aren't a big fan of filler chapters, please wait patiently for Chapter 13. Chapter 13 will return to the regular plot line. Thanks for reading! =)**

* * *

Chapter 12: Ignite the Flames – Derek Ardor

**Derek P.O.V.**

"Yeah Cole?"

"Yeah hey, Derek is it?"

"The one and only."

"Nice to meet you. You already know who I am, but I don't know much about you."

"Yeah so?"

"I'd like to know a little more about you, if it's not too much trouble."

"Why?" I don't really like to talk about my past. My past isn't anything fabulous or grand, filled with sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, or any of that happy shit.

"For the record." Wow. For a mighty guy that was a pretty whimsy reason.

"You can forget it. I'm not spilling anything."

"Hmm…"Cole stared at me intently. Well he can forget looking into my heart or soul. It's hard to look into something filled with darkness.

"If you're trying to read me, save it. It's just a void of nothingness in here."

"I can see that." Cole responded.

He started walking towards me, slowly.

"If you looking for a fight bring it on. Would be a great tale to tell the folks; how I was able to make the great Cole MacGrath beg for mercy."

"Geez, would you relax? Jason was just telling me how you were fangirling over me just a few moments ago. Either that guy has no idea what fangirling is or you have strange ways of being someone's number one fan."

I turned my head away to hide my incoming blush. "He shouldn't have told you that…"

"Just relax Derek. We're all friends here. I'm not here to judge you. None of us are. My life hasn't been all that grand either. Hell, no one here has a great life as of late."

"I'll bet you that Ice Prince had the life. Everything must have been ruined for him when he chipped a nail."

"Actually, Tyson hasn't had a great life either. When you think your life is bad and you hear about his…it's a slobber-knocker."

"What happened?" I hate the say it, but Cole caught my interest.

"I'll tell you if you tell me about you first."

"You're not going to give up are you?"

"As my "number one fan", you should know the answer to that question."

"Fine, alright I guess. Where should I start?"

"The beginning would be nice."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay…"

**~I~F~3~**

My name is Derek Ardor and I was born on March 22nd, 2003 in Orlando, Florida. My parents lived in crap heap; each of them worked two jobs, day and night to make ends meet. There was a generous baby sitter in the area that offered to look after kids for a dollar an hour. I basically grew up with her, but I didn't feel attached to her at all. Every time she came over, I was never too happy to see her. She wasn't my mom, she wasn't my dad, she was a stranger. But I had no choice, I was stuck with her.

Then just when things seemed stable, everything came crashing down.

My father left when I was three years old and my mom lost her job. With no other well paying job, she turned to gang relations and prostitution to support me. I guess the bright side to this was that now she was with me during the day, so I was able to spend more time with her.

Every day I asked her, "Where's daddy? Is he coming back?"

While fighting back tears she always responded, "I don't know."

After a year of asking and getting the same tear filled response, I just gave up. My father obviously wasn't coming back. He left us. He abandoned us. And I resented him for it.

**~I~F~3~**

When I was nine, on November 30th, 2012, a group of men broke into our house. I still vividly remember their and my mother's words.

"Yo, you came up quite short this month. Where's the money?" One of the men spoke up menacingly. Probably the leader.

"I'm sorry, business has been slow this month and I have a little boy to take care of. I'll get double the money to you next month, I promise."

"Oh really now? You said that last month. I think you'll holding out on us girl. I don't like money being taking away from me."

"Please understand I have a little boy to take care of." She pleaded with him.

"I have four kids to take care of and you don't hear me whining and complaining. I can't support my family if you're holding out on me." The man pulled out a gun on her.

"Can't you use one of your other girls? Please…" Tears came to my mother's eyes."

"They don't bring in as much money as you do. Now fork over the money."

"I don't have your money please, just give me another month. I'll have your money."

"I've had it up to here with your bullshit! And I know you're working for our rival gang too. I don't tolerate that type of shit in my gang. All I demand is money, drugs, and loyalty and you can't even do that."

My mother was full on sobbing now. I wanted to come up to her and hug her, comfort her. But that group of men kept me grounded behind a sofa.

"Replaceable bitch." He pulled the trigger on his gun; the bullet hit her in the neck, killing her instantly.

"NO!" I screamed out. Big mistake.

"Get the kid." He spoke to the rest of his men.

I tried to run away, but they were too fast. They grabbed me and brought to him.

"Hey little man. Nothing personal, but I can't afford another strike."

"Please, I'll stay quiet. Please don't kill me."

"If only I could believe that kid." He raised his gun and pointed it at my head.

I began to cry uncontrollably.

I heard two gunshots ring out and felt a sharp stinging in my face. Then I couldn't feel my face at all. I couldn't feel anything at all. I fell to the ground with a thud.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!"

"Shit!"

The sounds of gunshots filled the air and I felt a sharp sting in my arm. Everything faded to black and silence.

**~I~F~3~**

I woke up the sounds of methodical beeping. I was in a hospital room. I'm alive.

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake." I turned to see a woman with a soft smile on her face.

"W-wh-o-o?"

"Oh my, I heard so much noise coming from your home. I called the cops just in case. I should have called a little earlier darling, I'm sorry. My name's Kayla."

"What…what…what happened?"

"You were shot twice in the face and once in the arm. You were in surgery for quite a while, grand total of six hours. Luckily, the bullets narrowly missed the major stuff. The battle scars will hear with time. Are you in any pain?"

"No…"

"Okay, good, good. Now you just rest up. You must be hungry; I'll be back with some food. I'll call for the nurse as well."

Gosh…she's so…motherly.

After the nurse finished looking over my wounds, Kayla came back with a tray full of food.

"I didn't know what you would like so I just got you one of everything."

"Thank you." I responded.

"Do you have any family?"

"My da-no. I have no one." The fact that my dad left us alone all those years ago had hit me.

"Gracious. Well I sure as sugar can't let you go to the Orphanage. I heard some nasty things about that place. The hospital is allowing to me to take you home. In the meantime, I'll work on becoming your legal guardian."

She seems nice enough. I normally didn't bide well with strangers but she seemed to be the exception. So bright, nurturing, sweet, and caring.

"Okay. Thank you." I smiled at her.

"Don't mention it dear. Now eat up. By the way, you're going to be here for a while so that they can make sure there isn't any internal damage that they missed and to make sure that everything heals well." She spoke.

"Okay." I said with a mouthful of bread.

Almost a month had gone by, it's December 21st, 2012. I started to get sick of this place. The only plus was that Kayla came to visit me from morning to night. I got really close to her. But that wasn't enough to keep me here. I desperately wanted to leave.

"Kayla, I want to leave already." I whined.

"I know darling, but the doctors said you can't leave until next week. You can't be too careful." She responded.

I think they can be too careful.

"But I feel fine!"

"And you look so too. If it were up to me, you would have left the day you woke up. Unfortunately it's not up my discretion."

A nurse peered into the room. "M'am, visiting hours are over; it's time to leave." The nurse said.

Kayla said. "I have to go sweetling. I'll be back tomorrow. Good night." She kissed my forehead and left the room.

Little did she know that would be that last time she would see me.

I had memorized that hospital schedules and routines. They locked up the room, from the outside, and a single security guard patrolled the hallway on each floor. I'm on the third floor so simply jumping out the window was out of the question.

It's time to go.

I gathered my clothes and food I stored, packed it into a bag and made my way out. The security guards always made circles around the hallway. If I time it right, I'll never be spotted.

After a few close calls, I made it to the front door on the first floor. Going through the front door was easy. _Too easy._

I made my way to a window, opened it and climbed through out. I silently closed the window and ran off.

Sweet, sweet freedom.

God how long has it been since I've been outside? Way too long. The snow was falling slowly. I was definitely cold, but I didn't feel it. As a matter of fact, I felt warmer than ever. I continued running, away from the hospital and towards much deserved freedom.

The next day, by chance encounter, I ran into the man who left me and my mom. The man who abandoned us. The man I hated.

My father.

"Derek! Oh my god Derek!" He ran up to me and hugged me. I didn't hug back. Obviously.

"What are doing here on the streets?"

"I left."

"What?! You left your mother? Where is she?"

"She's dead. I left the hospital."

"Were you hurt?" He asked.

"Why should you care? You left me; you obviously don't care about me."

"Derek, I could never leave you. I left because of your mother. She became unbearable. I couldn't put up with the other way she made her money. She was playing a dangerous game and I didn't want to be a part of it. I planned to come back to get you when I was able, but when I came, the house was empty."

"You…you came back for me?"

"Of course I did Derek. You're my son and I love you."

"I love you too dad." He hugged me and this time I hugged him back. He picked me up, holding me in his arms. And I hung on to him with all my might.

"Come on. I live in Vale City, California now. Let's get you home."

"Okay…dad."

**~I~F~3~**

Vale City is a great place to be. Lots of places to see, great people, everything was happy. Especially for me.

At the age of 15, I already had some great nicknames following me; Out of Control, Daring Derek, Street Fighter Champ, Master Pincher, the list goes on. I've been in 64 street fights, my record being 62 wins and 2 losses. Whenever I was in a store, if I saw something I liked, I took it. If I saw a girl I liked, let's just say I _impressed_ her with my charm. If someone looked at me the wrong way, I didn't hesitate the pop them in their smart mouth. Ah yes, the police of Vale City knew me well. I've been arrested ten times, would have been much more if I wasn't as stealthy as I was. It's great having a lawyer for a dad. He bailed me out every single time. Man this is the life, I couldn't ask for more.

The summer of 2017, I encountered a teenage boy named Jason. He was visiting here with his father Zeke. At first glance, he looked to be a goody two shoes, a mama's boy; you know _that_ type of guy.

But once I got to know him, he turned out to be really laid back and a go with the flow type of guy. He's even accompanied me when I was out doing the usual. He didn't actively participate but he was my right hand man. It was odd at first, but I grew used to it. But I got a little suspicious when he brought a large bag of popcorn with him.

We grew to be really close friends, especially because we had similar pasts. His parents were killed off at a young age and he was sent to the St. Ignatius Orphanage. He told me how much it scarred him emotionally to lose his parents at a young age. But he told me what kept him going strong. Wherever they may be, his parents are looking after him.

"Your dad was watching over you the entire time. And your mom is looking after you right now. You see, you do all of this for attention. You didn't get the attention you deserved when you were young so you're trying to make up for it now. What you're doing is a cry for help. But you don't have to all of this. Your dad is here with now and your mom has always been with you. I'm not ordering you to change your lifestyle or anything, but I ask you this; are you doing this for the thrill or do you want attention?"

He posed some very strong points and a very good question. I may think I'm doing this for the thrill but in reality I may just want someone to notice me.

"Look, I understand you. I have no parents, but you still have one. He's trying to make up for lost time, but he can't do that if you keep getting locked up. One day, it may be for good. And I don't think you'll want the attention that's given in prison."

Shudder. He has a good point.

"You got me there Jay."

"Try being more kind, friendly, courteous."

"So, be more like you?"

"No. Be Derek, but show his other side."

"Thanks man." Jason and I hugged.

September 2017, Jason had to leave.

"Remember what I told you." He said before he left.

I won't deny it; Jason left a lasting impression on me. I stopped my antics, stopped getting arrested, and stopped making life hard for my dad. I apologized to him, for everything I've done.

"Son, I hope you know I was never mad at you. I knew why you did these things and I didn't blame you. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably be doing the same. I just made sure I was there for you, there to support you whenever you needed it. I love you son."

I decided to change myself for the better. I wanted to be a better person. I knew it would take a lot of hard work and that it wouldn't happen overnight but I swore to myself that I would become a better person and stay that way.

**~I~F~3~**

2019 was when it all came crashing down.

These chrome freaks, whatever the hell they were had broken into our home. They killed my father. I stood there frozen in time, staring at my dad's wide-eyed motionless body. I fell to my knees in silent agony. Something inside me broke.

The old Derek was making a fiery comeback.

I let out a scream and breathed fire. I looked down at my hands and flames consumed them. My hands weren't burning. I was controlling the flames.

Without further thought I let loose. I attacked the chrome freaks, turning them to crisps. I burned everything. I stood and looked at my burning home, admiring my work.

It's time to go.

I opened the front door and left my home to burn. I let everything burn; the past, the memories, everything.

I turned back and watched the burning home. I clenched my fists and threw an angry fireball at my home. That was enough to cause it to explode.

They were going to pay.

I didn't leave Vale City; something told me not to. I'm glad I listened.

For a while, I joined a group called Chaos Syndicate, thinking they could help me in my pursuit for revenge. But when I realized I was going nowhere with them, I went AWOL. This group was huge on loyalty and didn't accept me leaving so easily. I became their number one enemy. Now I get a kick of screwing with their plans and "missions".

And I guarantee it's all strictly for the thrill.

**~I~F~3~**

"And that's my story."

"Damn. And I thought Tyson was bad."

"Yeah…"

Why are my cheeks moist?

"Do you feel better talking to someone about it?"

"Not really…" I turned my head and wiped my eyes.

He smiled softly at me. They weren't kidding when they said he had the "silver smile" too. "Hold out your hand."

I held up my hand. Cole walked over to me and hovered his hand over mine. He let an electrical discharge. My hand stung a bit, but it wasn't anything unbearable.

"Consider that an autograph." He said in joking tone.

"Oh piss off." I said with a laugh.

"That should help with controlling your powers. I may have unlocked some new things for you as well but I'll leave that up to you to discover. If you need any more help, go find Nix."

"Thanks Cole."

"Anytime, now may I ask you one more thing?"

"Depends."

"How would you feel about joining us?"

"Hmmm….depends. What's in it for me?"

"Well for one, you would be able to mess around more with the members of Chaos Syndicate. They're not exactly our best friends right now. And you can kick some chrome ass."

"They weren't kidding when they said you knew how to sweet talk someone. Alright sure, not like I've got anything better to do."

"Awesome. Also, feel free to mingle with the others here. Remember we're all family here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I waved him off and left the room to go find Jason and the Ice Prince.

**Cole P.O.V.**

Derek despite your wild and reckless nature, you will be great asset to our team. You've been through so much in your young life and it just took one final push to ignite the flames.

With you on our team, I have no doubt you'll do great things in our fight for equality and unity. I need you, everyone, more than anyone may know.

Because I sure as hell can't do this on my own.

**Hope you liked it. Leave me your thoughts =)**


	13. Chapter 13: Joseph Bertrand IV

**Thanks for reading everyone! Shout out to ZakSaturday for giving me this wonderful idea =D**

**Enjoy! =)**

Chapter 13: Joseph Bertrand IV

"What do you mean there's two of them?!" Tyson, Derek, and I had walked into a room where an important meeting was being held. Cole was standing with a stunned and bewildered look on his face.

"Sir MacGrath…" A man said. The man was middle aged, probably in his fifties, and had a very regal appearance. He had a strong but comprehensible English accent.

"Baron, please for the last time; don't address me as sir." Cole told him sternly.

"Apologies, Mister MacGrath…"

"Man can't you just call me Cole?" He asked.

The man ignored his question.

"Continuing, it is true. It has been confirmed by Miss Sasha herself." He gestured to a woman with red eyes, grey skin, short hair, and wearing a grey midriff sweater, black jeans, and red boots.

She seems nice.

"It's true Cole. He talked to me while I was scoping out the ruins of Empire City. He told me his name."

"Did you see his face?" Cole asked.

"No. He was wearing a hood that covered his face well."

"Well then case closed. He's obviously the imposter."

"Not exactly Cole." John spoke up.

"Who is this walking car accident?" Derek whispered to me.

"That's John, formerly known as The Beast."

"HE was the beast?" Derek nearly shouted.

"Yes."

"Well damn, who would have figured?" Derek said astonished.

"The original or the duplicate was spotted in the east side of Vale City, with the same or slightly different attire. He hasn't shown his face." John spoke.

"…Yet."

"Yet? What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"He plans to do a rally tonight to get this part of the city on his side."

"Word on the street is some assholes from Chaos Syndicate are planning to crash that party. But those suckers don't know that he _wants_ them to. It'll be a perfect example for him." Nix added.

"I know who." Derek spoke up.

"Excuse me, young man, I don't think this is your place to speak." Baron spoke snobbishly.

"Pipe it Baron." Cole responded. "What's up kid?"

"I know who is going to trash that rally tonight. Andre and Josh. They love crashing parties. It would be surprising if they didn't show up to this one." Derek stated.

"Well then, we have to intercept them somehow."

"Leave it to me. I'm their favorite boy toy." Derek said with a smirk.

"All right, Tyson, Jason and I will be among the crowd to try to learn more about this guy. Nix, Kuo, Sasha, and John, you guys stick to the rooftops and keep a look out. Zeke and the rest of you, hold base here. Keep an eye out." Cole ordered.

Everyone nodded their head in agreement.

"Alright let's go."

**~I~F~3~**

"Alright, the rally is going to be held here. There's already a crowd here so we'll blend in just fine." Cole said to us. To avoid the risk of being noticed, especially in Cole's case, we all decided to dress a bit more discreetly. Cole wore a blue sweater, along with a white scarf that covered the bottom half of his face and a hat. The weather was cool enough for the attire, so he wouldn't be questioned.

Tyson and I wore hats, black sweaters, and white scarves.

We took our seats and waited for the rally to officially begin. All of this very well put together. There were stage lights and a podium. Probably where the man of the hour is going to speak. There were large flags, banners, signs everywhere. Some had a common message plastered on them. "Keep Mother Earth Pure."

"Alright, John, Sasha, Nix, and Kuo are in place and it sounds like Derek is distracting those members from Chaos Syndicate. Stay alert, anything could happen here." Cole whispered to us.

"We understand." Tyson responded.

As the sun went down, the stage lights went on. A man with a hood on appeared onstage and the crowd began to cheer.

"Citizens of Vale City." He began. "A terrible menace has fallen upon us. Conduits, supernatural beings litter our city and our world, causing non-super powered beings to suffer. They walk our streets, terrorizing us, abusing us."

"My father tried to stop them, but he soon became a victim of their vicious terror. He has become the victim of the man who now walks our streets. Cole MacGrath! The Demon of Empire City! And he is being hailed a saint? For killing an innocent man who tried to do good for our delicate society!"

The crowd began to jeer and say some very vulgar things about Cole. This must be _very_ awkward for him.

He raised his hands in an attempt to calm the crowd. "I hear your cries for help and I hear them well. No longer will I watch as another innocent suffers to the power of these…spawns of the devil himself! And neither will you!"

"I will be the man who lays all your fears to rest. To make you feel safe!" He went to remove his hood.

"My name is Joseph Bertrand IV and I am here to continue my father's work. And finish it. Conduits will be cleansed from this Earth. Our Mother Earth will be pure once again. And with God as my witness and on my father's grave, God rest his soul…"

"No freaking way" Cole said to himself.

Remove the damn hood already!

"I will set you all free. Humanity will no longer be terrorized! Humanity is the dominant race of this planet. Now and always!"He raised his fist in the air and the crowd erupted in cheer and applause.

He finally removed his hood. He appeared to be fairly young, about twenty years old.

Man, I wonder what happened to him in the past for him to already hate conduits at this age.

"Bertrand! Bertrand! Bertrand!" The crowd began to chant.

Joseph Bertrand IV had big smile on his face that was full of pride. Whatever he wanted to accomplish tonight, he seems like sure as hell did it.

"If you wish to be part of the fight to make society pure, to make Mother Earth pure, signups are to my right! Join me in the fight to make humanity the dominant race! That us, and only us, have the rightful on this beautiful planet Earth."

A majority of the crowd began to make their way over to a table.

"Come on, let's get out of here. We have a lot to discuss." Cole said. He raised his hand to the air and some thunder began to rumble. Most likely a signal for the others to make their back to the sanctuary.

**~I~F~3~**

We entered the building and we all made our way to the room we were in earlier.

"Unbelievable. That old bastard had a bastard of his own?" Nix exclaimed.

"Conduit or not, that young man is powerful. Probably more powerful than his father was." Kuo added.

"Yeah and his father was some big ass ugly motherfu-"

"Miss Nix, please! There are children present!" Baron exclaimed.

"Screw off Baron." Nix responded.

"And if he's anything, if not everything, like his father he most likely has a large army in his possession. And it's growing." Cole added.

"And so are the chrome conduits. I saw a large flock of them arrive in the city the other day." Tyson added.

"This is…this is a really crappy predicament."

"Just like old times, eh Cole?" Zeke said.

Cole smiled knowingly.

At this time, Derek had come running into the room, out of breath with large smile on his face and laughing.

"No manners in this generation." Baron said to himself.

Derek shot him a dirty look.

"Man I love messing with those fuckers! Never gets old!"

"You didn't lead them here did you?!" Baron exclaimed.

Cole looked at him in shock, as did everyone else. I only knew him for a few minutes and he even shocked me. He just doesn't seem like the type of person to lose his cool like that.

Realizing what he had just said and done, Baron quickly recomposed himself.

"What if I did?" Derek said.

"Derek, we're already in a shitty situation. The absolute last thing we need is them finding us here." Cole said sternly.

"Ah don't get your britches in knot. I ditched them a long while back."

"I'll take your word for it." Cole said.

Derek nodded and took a seat on the floor.

"This is an all out war." Cole muttered. "One side is pro-conduit and one side is pro-humanity."

"So which side are we on? Nix asked.

"Neither." Cole responded.

"Neither? What you talking about demon?" Derek asked.

"It's been proven time and time again that conduits and humans can co-exist. Hell, there shouldn't even be a labeled difference between us." Cole stated.

"We can clearly say that the Joseph Bertrand IV we saw tonight is pro-humanity. The other is mostly likely pro-conduit, possibly leading the chrome conduits" Kuo said.

"So what are we going to do? If we want to fight for unity, we'd lose in a heartbeat. As big as we may seem, we're still pretty small compared to the others." Cole said.

"If I may interject Master Cole." Baron said.

"…Seriously?!"

"Perhaps we should try to expand our forces somehow?"

"How? Bertrand's already got the North side of Vale City with a miniscule amount of naysayers. Even reaching out to them won't do us much good. It's only a matter of time before he has the entire city on his side."

"We could always try to beat some sense into them." Nix said.

"Now THAT idea I like!" Derek exclaimed with excitement.

"OR, we could try to not be so brash and be little more reasonable. Persuade them with words rather than violence." Tyson added.

"Actions speak louder than words, ice prince." Derek responded.

Tyson glared hard at him and Derek glared right back with a smirk.

Man, I can tell that these two are going to be interesting together.

"Sorry I suggested the idea Cole, still haven't gotten all that evil outta me." Nix said.

"Wasn't expecting you to ever do that Nix. You wouldn't be any fun anymore." Cole responded with a wink.

"Well on one hand we have violence and on the other hand we have reason." Cole mused.

"Jason. What do you think we should go with? Violence or Reason?"

He caught me completely off guard with that one. Both ideas are plausible but one or both is bound to back fire in some way or veer us off somewhere we wouldn't want to be.

"I think…"

**Why does it feel like forever since I've updated this story? XD**

**What will Jason choose(what choice do you think is better?) =)**

**Hope you guys are liking it. Leave me your thoughts =)**


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